Corrosion behavior of 316L stainless steel and Zr75Ti25 bulk amorphous alloy in simulated PEMFC anode environment in a solution containing 12.5 ppm H2SO4 + 1.8 ppm HF at 25 and 80 °C

Metallic alloys have been considered for the fabrication of bipolar plates for polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cells (PEMFC). The corrosion behavior of 316L stainless steel (316L) and Zr75Ti25 bulk amorphous alloy (AB) in PEMFC environments was studied using polarization resistance and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) methods. The results showed that under natural corrosion conditions, the amorphous bulk alloy had a corrosion resistance close to that of 316L stainless steel. In all other fuel cell environments studied, the corrosion rate of AB was lower than that of 316L.