Corrosion Behavior of ZrMoN Coatings Prepared by Physical Vapor Deposition

ZrMoN coatings were deposited on 304 stainless steel surface by physical vapor deposition (PVD). The surface morphology, phase structure and corrosion behavior of ZrMoN coatings at different temperatures were analyzed by the method of scanning electron microscopy (SEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD) and electrochemical test. The results show that ZrMoN coatings at test temperatures except 400℃ had high surface energy, showing good hydrophobicity which is helpful to prevent water accumulating in electrode system. In the simulated cathode environment of proton exchange membrance fuel cell (PEMFC), transpassivation appeared early for the substrate but did not appear for ZrMoN coatings. This indicates that the ZrMoN coating is helpful to improve the corrosion resistance of the stainless steel. ZrMoN coatings exhibited excellent corrosion resistance at temperatures of 300℃ and 400℃, which shows great potential in the study of bipolar plate material of PEMFC.