Development of metallic bipolar plate contact resistance using TiN coating

In proton exchange membrane fuel cells (PEMFCs), investigation of interfacial contact resistance (ICR) between gas diffusion layer (GDL) and bipolar plates (BPP) is necessary. Recently, metallic BPPs have been used widely in fuel cells. In this paper, metallic sheet coated using three layers TiN to improve the contact resistance of the metal. The contact resistance study is done using common setup of test. Results reveal that ICR between GDL and BPPs are highly influenced by the applied contact pressure on the structure. Three layers TiN coated SS ۳۱۶L confirm ICR target of ۲۰۲۰ department of energy (DOE). The ICRs between GDL and TiN coated SS ۳۱۶L are investigated. The results demonstrate that the TiN coated stainless steel has acceptable ICR for having efficient power density based on DOE ۲۰۲۰ target. The contact resistance between the GDL and three layer TiN coated SS ۳۱۶L sheet has been experimentally compared with DOE ۲۰۲۰ report. The ICR obtained for two samples are ۸.۵۹ and ۸.۳۷ m𝑚Ω×𝑐cm𝑚۲.