Durable corrosion-resistant coating based in graphene oxide for cost-effective fuel cells components

The current imperative transition to environmentally friendly technologies for power generation requires the reduction of their production costs. In the case of proton exchange membrane fuel cells, current collectors, which are usually integrated as flow field plates in the cells, constitute a critical component due to its weight and cost. In this paper, a cost-effective alternative is proposed, which is based in copper as conductive substrate. The protection of this metal in the aggressive media resulting from the operation conditions is the principal challenge. A continuous reduced graphene oxide coating has been developed to avoid corrosion under operation. The results of the protection behavior of this coating under accelerated stress tests performed in a real fuel cell reveal that the cost-effective procedure for copper coating is able to compete with gold-plated nickel collectors and constitute a real alternative to reduce the production costs and the weight of these systems.