The electrical conductivity, corrosion resistance and hydrophobic property of bipolar plate are important factors to affect the overall performance of proton exchange membrane fuel cell (PEMFC). In order to improve the performance of bipolar plate, ZrC coating has been prepared on bare Ti plate by plasma surface modification technology. From the microscopic morphology characterization, it can be found that the surface of ZrC modified plate is smooth without obvious defect. The potentiodynamic polarization and potentiostatic polarization tests are measured in cathodic and anodic environment of PEMFC. The result shows that the corrosion current density of ZrC coated Ti plate decreases by 1–2 orders of magnitude compared with bare Ti plate. Moreover, the interfacial contact resistance (ICR) decreases from 110 mΩ cm² to 7.70 mΩ cm² under the compaction force of 140 N cm⁻². In addition, the ICR of ZrC coated Ti plate slightly increases after potentiostatic polarization, indicating that a good electrical conductivity and durability is obtained by ZrC coated Ti plate. Furthermore, the ZrC coated Ti plate has a lower water contact angle (105°) than bare Ti plate (76°), indicating a better hydrophobic performance for water management.

中文翻译：

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质子交换膜燃料电池用ZrC涂层改性Ti双极板

双极板的导电性，耐腐蚀性和疏水性是影响质子交换膜燃料电池（PEMFC）整体性能的重要因素。为了提高双极板的性能，采用等离子表面改性技术在裸钛板上制备了ZrC涂层。从微观形貌表征，可以发现ZrC改性板表面光滑，无明显缺陷。在PEMFC的阴极和阳极环境下测量电位动力学极化和恒电位极化测试。结果表明，与裸露的钛板相比，ZrC涂层的钛板的腐蚀电流密度降低了1-2个数量级。此外，界面接触电阻（ICR）从110mΩcm ²减小到7.70毫欧厘米²的为140N厘米的压紧力下^-2。另外，在恒电位极化之后，ZrC涂覆的Ti板的ICR略有增加，表明通过ZrC涂覆的Ti板获得了良好的导电性和耐久性。此外，ZrC涂层的Ti板的水接触角（105°）比裸露的Ti板（76°）低，表明在水管理方面具有更好的疏水性能。