Cold Gas Spraying 3D Printing of Ti Bipolar Plates for PEM Water Electrolyzers Cost Reduction

Abstract

One of the main problems that slows down the implementation of the green hydrogen (H2) economy is the cost of water electrolysis. While part of this cost is associated to the price of electricity, a significant part relies on the parts of the electrolyzers. Despite their advantages, Proton Exchange Membrane Water Electrolyzers (PEMWE) still have to overcome some drawbacks to reduce its H2 production cost, while maintaining high efficiencies. For decades, thermal spraying has been used for the production of coatings all over the world because of its versatility in industry for machinery and tools preservation, surfaces protection and corrosion prevention. This study demonstrates the possibilities of Cold Gas Spray (CGS) for the cost-reductive production of a component of PEMWEs, the Bipolar Plates (BPPs), by metal 3D printing. In this process, the incorporation of a mask between the nozzle exit and the substrate can drastically transform the BPP production to a very fast and automatic bottom-up process where material is deposited layer by- layer for building up the three-dimensional flow field patterns from a flat surface. Microstructure and topography of 3D printed BPPs were inspected by microscopy techniques. For evaluating the fulfilment of BPPs requirements (interfacial contact resistance and corrosion resistance) the new BPPs were characterized following the Davies’ method and with potentiodynamic test in O2-saturated H2SO4 solutions, respectively.