Conducting member for fuel cells, fuel cell, fuel cell stack, and method of producing conducting member for fuel cells

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10847830-B2
Application number	US-201615742749-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jun 16, 2016
Priority date	Jul 9, 2015
Publication date	Nov 24, 2020
Grant date	Nov 24, 2020

Abstract

Provided are conducting members for fuel cells obtained by applying a protective film forming agent to a surface-treated base material having a base material and at least one alloy plating layer formed on the base material in order to form a protective film on the alloy plating layer, and thereafter subjecting the surface-treated base material to an acid treatment. In the conducting members for fuel cells of the present invention, the protective film forming agent preferably contains a mixture of a compound having a thiol group and an azole-based compound, and/or an azole-based compound having a thiol group. In the conducting members for fuel cells of the present invention, the acid treatment is preferably a treatment using sulfuric acid or nitric acid.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A conducting member for fuel cells comprising
a surface-treated base material having a base material;
at least one alloy plating layer formed on the base material; and
a gold plated layer provided on the alloy plating layer,
wherein the alloy plating layer has a protective film, which covers at least a part of a portion in which the alloy plating layer is exposed,
the base material has a passivation film formed by an acid treatment on at least a part of a portion in which the base material is exposed, the acid treatment being performed in a state where the alloy plating layer is protected by the protective film,
the protective film contains a mixture of a compound having a thiol group and an azole-based compound, and/or an azole-based compound having a thiol group, and
the alloy plating layer includes Ni.

2. The conducting member for fuel cells according to claim 1 , wherein the acid treatment is a treatment using sulfuric acid or nitric acid.

3. The conducting member for fuel cells according to claim 1 , wherein the alloy plating layer is made of an alloy selected from Ni—Pd—P, Ni—P, and Ni—Sn alloys.

4. The conducting member for fuel cells according to claim 3 , wherein a molar ratio of Ni to Pd (Ni/Pd) in the alloy plating layer is 0.005 to 0.5.

5. The conducting member for fuel cells according to claim 1 , further comprising a modifying layer formed between the base material and the alloy plating layer.

6. The conducting member for fuel cells according to claim 1 , wherein the base material is selected from stainless steel, Ti and Ti alloy.

7. The conducting member for fuel cells according to claim 1 , wherein the conducting member for fuel cells is a separator for fuel cells, or a current-collecting plate for fuel cells.

8. A fuel cell comprising the conducting member for fuel cells according to claim 1 .

9. A fuel cell stack obtained by stacking a plurality of fuel cells according to claim 8 .

10. The conducting member for fuel cells according to claim 1 , wherein the protective film is not formed on a surface of the gold plated layer.

Assignees

• Toyo Kohan Co Ltd

Inventors

• Tsuruda Tomoyuki
• Yoshida Takahiro
• Shimata Kazumasa

Classifications

• C23F11/165

  Heterocyclic compounds containing sulfur as hetero atom · CPC title

• C23C22/58

  Treatment of other metallic material · CPC title

• C23F11/10

  using organic inhibitors · CPC title

• C23C18/44

  using reducing agents · CPC title

• Y02P70/50

  Manufacturing or production processes characterised by the final manufactured product · CPC title