Chemical Composition and Corrosion Behavior of a-C:H/DLC Film-Coated Titanium Substrate in Simulated PEMFC Environment

The amorphous hydrogenated (a-C:H) film-coated titanium, using different CH₄/H₂ and deposition times, was prepared by the ion beam deposition (IBD) method, which has the advantage of high adhesion because of the graded interface mixes at the atomic level. The chemical characterizations and corrosion behaviors of a-C:H film were investigated and evaluated by SEM, AFM, Raman spectroscopy, EPMA, TEM and XPS. An a-C:H film-coated titanium was corroded at 0.8 V, 90 °C in a 0.5 mol/L H₂SO₄ solution for 168 h. The metal ion concentration in the H₂SO₄ corrosion solution and the potentiodynamic polarization behavior were evaluated. Results indicate that a higher CH₄/H₂ of 1:0 and a deposition time of 12 h can result in a minimum I_D/I_G ratio of 0.827, Ra of 5.76 nm, metal ion concentration of 0.34 ppm in the corrosion solution and a corrosion current of 0.23 µA/cm². The current density in this work meets the DOE’s 2020 target of 1 µA/cm². Electrical conductivity is inversely proportional to the corrosion resistance. The significant improvement in the corrosion resistance of the a-C:H film was mainly attributed to the increased sp³ element and nanocrystalline TiC phase in the penetration layer. As a result, the a-C:H film-coated titanium at CH₄/H₂ = 1:0 with improved anti-corrosion behavior creates a great potential for PEMFC bipolar plates.