Low-nickel austenitic stainless steel as an alternative to 316L bipolar plate for proton exchange membrane fuel cells

By Subash Rajasekar and Raghuram Chetty and Lakshman Neelakantan
Published in International Journal of Hydrogen Energy NULL 2015

Abstract

Suitability of low Ni austenitic stainless steel (201 SS) as an effective alternative to 316L stainless steel bipolar plates for proton exchange membrane fuel cells (PEMFC) was investigated. Polarization studies showed 201 \SS\ behaved similar to 316L in the cathodic environment of fuel cell, but performed poorly in the anodic environment. Electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) studies revealed that in the anodic environment the oxide thickness and resistance of 201 \SS\ is lower than 316L, whereas in the cathodic environment both steels showed similar behavior. Mott

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