Hierarchically Electrodeposited Nickel/Graphene Coatings for Improved Corrosion Resistance of Ni Foam Flow Field in PEMFC

Abstract

Metal foams are promising materials for the flow fields of proton exchange membrane fuel cells (PEMFCs) because of excellent mass transport characteristics and high electronic conductivity. To resolve the corrosion problem in the acidic environment under high temperature, nickel/graphene (Ni/G) composite coatings with hierarchical structures were electrodeposited on the surface of Ni foam. The effect of grain size and the distribution in the double layer was discussed. It was found that Ni/G5-10, with larger inner size and middle outer size, exhibited the best corrosion performance. Meanwhile, the corrosion current in the Tafel plots and the steady current density in constant potential analysis was lower than that obtained under steady and gradient currents. Combined with the results of XRD, XPS, and SEM, it was proven that a uniform and dense protective film was produced during the two-step electrodeposition. Moreover, the ICR value was 8.820 mΩ·cm2, which met the requirement of 2025 DOE.

Keywords

• PEMFC
• metal foam
• flow field
• electrodeposition
• corrosion resistance
• nickel/graphene composite