Abstract
The selective gas nitridation of model nickel-based alloys was used to form dense, electrically conductive and corrosion-resistant nitride surface layers, including TiN, VN, CrN, Cr2N, as well as a complex NiNbVN phase. Evaluation for use as a protective surface for metallic bipolar plates in proton exchange membrane fuel cells (PEMFC) indicated that CrN/Cr2N based surfaces hold promise to meet U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) performance goals for automotive applications. The thermally grown CrN/Cr2N surface formed on model Ni-Cr based alloys exhibited good stability and low electrical resistance in single-cell fuel cell testing under simulated drive-cycle conditions. Recent results indicate that similar protective chromium nitride surfaces can be formed on less expensive Fe-Cr based alloys potentially capable of meeting DOE cost goals.
Original language | American English |
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Pages (from-to) | 50-57 |
Number of pages | 8 |
Journal | JOM |
Volume | 58 |
Issue number | 8 |
DOIs | |
State | Published - 2006 |
NREL Publication Number
- NREL/JA-560-40690