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Volume 16
Issue 9
10.3390/coatings16091070
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This is an early access version, the complete PDF, HTML, and XML versions will be available soon.
Article

Corrosion Resistance, Adhesion Strength, and Electrical Conductivity of 316L Bipolar Plates Treated with Combined Plasma Nitriding and TiN Coating

by
Zhiling Zhou
1,*,
Min Zhao
1,
Jian Yang
1,
Huaizhen Qu
2,
Yanqiang Hu
1,
Mengyao Li
3 and
Fuming Lai
1,*
1
School of Sustainable Energy and Material Science, Jinhua Advanced Research Institute, Jinhua 321013, China
2
Institute of Optical Physics and Engineering Technology, Qilu Zhongke, Jinan 251000, China
3
Shanghai Cancer Institute, Shanghai 200000, China
*
Authors to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Coatings 2026, 16(9), 1070; https://doi.org/10.3390/coatings16091070
Submission received: 7 August 2026 / Revised: 3 September 2026 / Accepted: 5 September 2026 / Published: 8 September 2026
(This article belongs to the Section Metal Surface Process)
Versions Notes

Abstract

To enhance the corrosion resistance, adhesion strength, and electrical conductivity of bipolar plates for proton exchange membrane fuel cells (PEMFCs), a duplex surface treatment comprising plasma nitriding (PN) followed by arc ion plating of a TiN coating was applied to 316L stainless steel. The duplex coating exhibited a bilayer structure with a TiN top layer (~1.3 μm) and a nitrided diffusion layer (~9.2 μm). Compared with a single TiN coating, it showed superior corrosion resistance in both cathode and anode environments, with corrosion current densities of 0.069 and 0.422 μA·cm−2, respectively, and maintained stable performance over 10,000 s of potentiostatic polarization. Its interfacial contact resistance at 140 N·cm−2 was 7.84 mΩ·cm2, below the Department of Energy (DOE) 2025 target of 10 mΩ·cm2. The water contact angle also increased, benefiting water management. The nitrided interlayer substantially enhanced the adhesion strength of the TiN coating. These findings confirm that the sequential combination of plasma nitriding and TiN coating is an effective strategy for improving the corrosion resistance, electrical conductivity, and adhesion of stainless steel bipolar plates for PEMFC applications.
Keywords: PEMFC; 316L; plasma nitriding; TiN; arc ion plating; adhesion strength PEMFC; 316L; plasma nitriding; TiN; arc ion plating; adhesion strength

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MDPI and ACS Style

Zhou, Z.; Zhao, M.; Yang, J.; Qu, H.; Hu, Y.; Li, M.; Lai, F. Corrosion Resistance, Adhesion Strength, and Electrical Conductivity of 316L Bipolar Plates Treated with Combined Plasma Nitriding and TiN Coating. Coatings 2026, 16, 1070. https://doi.org/10.3390/coatings16091070

AMA Style

Zhou Z, Zhao M, Yang J, Qu H, Hu Y, Li M, Lai F. Corrosion Resistance, Adhesion Strength, and Electrical Conductivity of 316L Bipolar Plates Treated with Combined Plasma Nitriding and TiN Coating. Coatings. 2026; 16(9):1070. https://doi.org/10.3390/coatings16091070

Chicago/Turabian Style

Zhou, Zhiling, Min Zhao, Jian Yang, Huaizhen Qu, Yanqiang Hu, Mengyao Li, and Fuming Lai. 2026. "Corrosion Resistance, Adhesion Strength, and Electrical Conductivity of 316L Bipolar Plates Treated with Combined Plasma Nitriding and TiN Coating" Coatings 16, no. 9: 1070. https://doi.org/10.3390/coatings16091070

APA Style

Zhou, Z., Zhao, M., Yang, J., Qu, H., Hu, Y., Li, M., & Lai, F. (2026). Corrosion Resistance, Adhesion Strength, and Electrical Conductivity of 316L Bipolar Plates Treated with Combined Plasma Nitriding and TiN Coating. Coatings, 16(9), 1070. https://doi.org/10.3390/coatings16091070

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