Performance Enhancement of a-C:Cr Thin Films Deposited on 316L Stainless Steel as Bipolar Plates via a Thin Ti Layer by Mid-Frequency Magnetron Sputtering for PEMFC Application

Yuxing Zhao, Song Li, Saiqiang Wang, Ming Ma, Ming Chen, Jiao Yang, Chunlei Yang () and Weimin Li ()
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Yuxing Zhao: Shenzhen Institute of Advanced Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenzhen 518055, China
Song Li: Shenzhen Institute of Advanced Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenzhen 518055, China
Saiqiang Wang: Shenzhen Institute of Advanced Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenzhen 518055, China
Ming Ma: Shenzhen Institute of Advanced Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenzhen 518055, China
Ming Chen: Shenzhen Institute of Advanced Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenzhen 518055, China
Jiao Yang: Shenzhen Center Power Tech Co., Ltd., Center Power Industrial Park, Tongfu Industrial District, Dapeng Town, Shenzhen 518120, China
Chunlei Yang: Shenzhen Institute of Advanced Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenzhen 518055, China
Weimin Li: Shenzhen Institute of Advanced Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenzhen 518055, China

Energies, 2025, vol. 18, issue 13, 1-15

Abstract: Ti/a-C:Cr multilayer films were deposited on 316L stainless steel (SS316L) substrates using medium-frequency alternating current magnetron sputtering, with a single-layer a-C:Cr film also prepared on a titanium substrate. The influence of sputtering pressure on the film’s structure and properties was systematically investigated. Film morphology and microstructure were analyzed via X-ray diffraction (XRD), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and atomic force microscopy (AFM). At a pressure of 1.4 MPa, the interfacial contact resistance (ICR) of SS316L bipolar plates (BPPs) coated with the films reached as low as 3.30 mΩ·cm 2 , while that of titanium BPPs was 2.90 mΩ·cm 2 . Under simulated proton exchange membrane fuel cell (PEMFC) cathode conditions (70 °C, 0.6 V vs. SCE, 0.5 M H 2 SO 4 , 5 ppm HF solution), the corrosion current density, Icorr, reached optimal values of 0.69 μA·cm −2 for SS316L and 0.62 μA·cm −2 for titanium. These results demonstrate that parameter optimization enables SS316L BPPs to functionally replace titanium counterparts, offering significant cost reductions for metal BPPs and accelerating the commercialization of PEMFC technology.

Keywords: medium-frequency magnetron alternating current sputtering; proton exchange membrane fuel cell; bipolar plate coatings; multilayer; new energy (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q Q0 Q4 Q40 Q41 Q42 Q43 Q47 Q48 Q49 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2025
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