Evaluating the corrosion resistance of Aluminum alloy A6063 with and without protective coatings in a simulated environment proton exchange membrane fuel cells

https://doi.org/10.62239/jca.2024.067

Abstract

In this study, Ni-coating and Au/Ni-coating were preparated by electroplating method at room temperature (25⁰ C) and 45⁰ C with various plating time on A6063 alloy substrate. The corrosion behavior of A6063 with and without protective coatings (Ni-coating and Au/Ni-coating) were evaluated in a solution simulating environment of Proton exchange membrane fuel cells (PEMFCs), 0.5 M H₂SO₄ and 200 ppm HF at temperatures 60 ⁰C. Electrochemical techniques including polarization tests and impedance spectrum are used to evaluate corrosion behaviour. The surface and cross-section morphology, the chemical composition of the specimens were characterized by scanning electron microscope (SEM) and energy-dispersive X-ray (EDS) The results shown that corrosion resistance of specimens coated at room temperature was better than those coated at 45⁰C. Aluminum alloy A6063 with protective coatings significantly improved the corrosion resistance in a simulated environment proton exchange membrane fuel. While, the corrosion current density of the Au/Ni-coating reduced by 6.4 times compared to the Ni-coating and 33.9 times compared to the A6063 without coating.