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Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to investigate the interfacial conductivity and corrosion resistance of the Ni–P/Ti4O7 composite coating that is deposited on a carbon steel substrate as bipolar plates for proton exchange membrane fuel cells. Design/methodology/approach: The Ni–P/Ti4O7 coating was prepared by electroless plating. Scanning electron microscopy, white light interference, energy dispersive spectrometry and X-ray diffraction were used, respectively, to study the surface morphology, chemical composition and phase composition of coated samples. Electrochemical impedance spectroscopy, potentiodynamic and potentiostatic polarization were used to test the electrochemical performance and corrosion behavior. The interfacial contact resistance (ICR) was measured via the standard method. Findings: The surface of the Ni–P/Ti4O7 coating is complete and dense and without obvious defects. The electrochemical test results show that the Ni–P/Ti4O7 coating provides better corrosion resistance than the Ni–P coating and substrate. Compared with the Ni–P coating, the ICR of the Ni–P/Ti4O7 coating is lower by about 82.7%. This is because the coating has more conductive contact points. The more exciting thing is that the ICR of the Ni–P/Ti4O7 coating only increases to 12.38 mΩ·cm2 after 5 h of polarization. Originality/value: This paper provides a method for achieving surface modification of metal bipolar plates. Introducing Ti4O7 particles in the Ni–P layer reduces the contact resistance before and after polarization while ensuring good corrosion resistance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Highlights: [•] Phytic acid increases compactness of self-assembled nanoparticle (SANP) film. [•] SANP-P layer in composite film indicates good barrier property against corrosion. [•] Improved adhesion of composite film obtained in a corrosive service environment. [•] SANP film with phytic acid (SANP-P) shows high thermal stability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• The PAM gels is a new corrosion-triggered inhibiting structure. • The inhibitor ions Ce4+ could change the morphology of the products film. • The absorption and bridging of PAM gels about the corrosion product. Biomaterial polyacrylamide (PAM) hydrogel was first studied for self-healing coatings of Mg alloys. In this work, a PAM gel with Ce4+ inhibitor was in-situ composited on the surface of micro-arc oxidation treated AZ31 Mg alloy. The results indicated that the scratched samples with the composite coating could avoid pitting corrosions and self-heal in neutral salt spray test (NSST). XPS and SEM-EDS analysis reveal that the self-healing performance was ascribable to the inhibition of Ce4+ and the bridge adsorption of PAM gels. Moreover, the results of open circuit potential and polarization curve indicate that the self-healing product film has good corrosion resistance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: After being pre-plated a zinc layer, an amorphous Al–Mn alloy coating was applied onto the surface of AZ31B magnesium alloy with a bath of molten salts. Then the corrosion performance of the coated magnesium alloy was examined in 3.5% NaCl solution by potentiodynamic polarization and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS). The results showed that the single Zn layer was active in the test solution with a high corrosion rate while the Al–Mn alloy coating could effectively protect AZ31B magnesium alloy from corrosion in the solution. The high corrosion resistance of Al–Mn alloy coating was ascribed to an intact and stable passive film formed on the coating. The performances of the passive film on Al–Mn alloy were further investigated by Mott-Schottky curve and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) analysis. It was confirmed that the passive film exhibited n-type semiconducting behavior in 3.5% NaCl solution with a carrier density two orders of magnitude less than that formed on pure aluminum electrode. The XPS analysis indicated that the passive film was mainly composed of AlO(OH) after immersion for long time and the content of Mn was negligible in the outer part of the passive film. Based on the EIS measurement, electronic structure and composition analysis of the passive film, a double-layer structure, with a compact inner oxide and a porous outer layer, of the film was proposed for understanding the corrosion process of passive film, with which the experimental observations might be satisfactorily interpreted. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]