Electrochemical Behavior of Tantalum Nitride Protective Layers for PEMFC Application

Aurélie Achille, Fabrice Mauvy (), Sebastien Fourcade, Dominique Michau, Marjorie Cavarroc and Angéline Poulon-Quintin
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Aurélie Achille: Univ. Bordeaux, CNRS, Bordeaux INP, ICMCB, UMR 5026, F-33600 Pessac, France
Fabrice Mauvy: Univ. Bordeaux, CNRS, Bordeaux INP, ICMCB, UMR 5026, F-33600 Pessac, France
Sebastien Fourcade: Univ. Bordeaux, CNRS, Bordeaux INP, ICMCB, UMR 5026, F-33600 Pessac, France
Dominique Michau: Univ. Bordeaux, CNRS, Bordeaux INP, ICMCB, UMR 5026, F-33600 Pessac, France
Marjorie Cavarroc: SAFRAN Tech, Châteaufort, CS 80112, 78772 Magny-les-Hameaux, France
Angéline Poulon-Quintin: Univ. Bordeaux, CNRS, Bordeaux INP, ICMCB, UMR 5026, F-33600 Pessac, France

Energies, 2024, vol. 17, issue 20, 1-15

Abstract: Proton Exchange Membrane Fuel Cells (PEMFCs) are promising technology to convert chemical energy from dihydrogen in electrical energy. HT-PEMFCs are working at high temperatures (above 120 °C) and with doped orthophosphoric acid H 3 PO 4 PBI membranes. In such devices, bipolar metallic plates are used to provide reactive gas inside the fuel cell and collect the electrical current. The metallic elements used as bipolar plates, end plates, and interconnectors in acid electrolyte and gaseous fuel cells are severely damaged by a combination of oxidation (due in particular to the use of oxygen, whether pure or contained in the air) and corrosion (due in particular to acid effluents from the electrolyte). This degradation rapidly leads to the loss of the electrical conductivity of the metallic elements and today requires the use of very specific alloys, possibly coated with pure gold. The solution investigated in the present study is the use of a protective coating based on single-phase nitrides obtained by reactive magnetron sputtering or reactive HiPIMS (High-Power Impulse Magnetron Sputtering). The influence of the microstructure on the physical–chemical properties was studied. The electrochemical properties were quantified following two approaches. First, the corrosion current of the developed coatings was measured at room temperature and at higher temperatures using the Linear Sweep Voltammetry (LSV) technique. Then, Electrochemical Impedance Spectroscopy (EIS) measurements were performed to better identify and evaluate their corrosion-resistance performances.

Keywords: tantalum nitride; protective layer; corrosion current; PEMFC; fuel cell (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: 2024
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