Characterization of Ti3SiC2-coating on stainless steel bipolar plates in simulated proton exchange membrane fuel cell environments

Ti3SiC2-phase-coating is considered as a candidate for protective coating on bipolar plates in proton exchange membrane fuel cells with good corrosion resistance and electrical conductivity. In this work, Ti–Si–C coatings are prepared on stainless steel substrates by direct current and pulse magnetron sputtering, followed by vacuum heat-treatment to generate Ti3SiC2. Our findings indicate that the Ti3SiC2 coatings exhibit an excellent contact resistance and a good anticorrosion performance with low corrosion current densities in simulated proton exchange membrane fuel cells environments. Keywords: Ti3SiC2, MAX phase, Bipolar plate, Electrical conductivity, Corrosion resistance