2018 Fiscal Year Final Research Report
Nano-scale nitridation of stainless steel as bipolar plates for proton exchange membrane fuel cells
| Project/Area Number |
16K06789
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| Research Category |
Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (C)
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| Allocation Type | Multi-year Fund |
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| Section | 一般 |
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| Research Field |
Material processing/Microstructural control engineering
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| Research Institution | Iwate University |
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Principal Investigator |
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| Research Collaborator |
MYUNG Seung-Taek
KUMAGAI Masanobu
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| Project Period (FY) |
2016-04-01 – 2019-03-31
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| Keywords | 固体高分子形燃料電池 / セパレーター / ステンレス鋼 / 電気化学的窒化 / 腐食 |
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| Outline of Final Research Achievements |
In order to put stainless steel bipolar plate into practical use of PEFC, surface modification is necessary to reduce interfacial contact resistance (ICR) between bipolar plate material and carbon gas diffusion layer. In this study, electrochemical nitridation (ECN) was applied to stainless steel to form ultrathin nitride layer which reduced ICR successfully. The ECN treatment was more effective for fine-grained stainless steel with respect of stability against anodic polarization. The ECN treatment was applied to the fine-grained stainless steel for use as bipolar plates. The cell performance was comparable to that with graphite bipolar plates, proving that the ECN treated stainless steel with fine grains is a promising candidate material for PEFC bipolar plates.
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| Free Research Field |
工学
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| Academic Significance and Societal Importance of the Research Achievements |
固体高分子形燃料電池(PEFC)を構成する材料の中で、セパレーターが質量と価格の大きな割合を占めていることから、これを安価なステンレス鋼でつくることが望まれている。ステンレス鋼表面には不動態皮膜が存在して大きな抵抗となるため、これを解決する方法として、簡便な電気化学的処理を行った結果、非常に薄い窒化物層を形成させることに成功した。この処理を行ったステンレス鋼をセパレーターとするPEFC単セルは、高価なグラファイト製セパレーターを用いたセルと同等の性能を示したことから、PEFCのコスト低下に貢献すると期待される。
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