A flow plate for use as an anode current collector in an electrolytic cell for the production of hydrogen from water is provided. The flow plate comprises a channel plate and a cover plate. A front face of the channel plate is provided with a flow field pattern of open-faced channels defined by depressed portions alternating with elevated portions. The cover plate made of a material that is corrosion resistant in an anodic environment of water electrolysis. The cover plate is arranged parallel on top of the channel plate and in electrical contact with the front face thereof. The cover plate is further provided with a pattern of through-going apertures alternating with closed portions, and the closed portions cover at least the elevated portions of the channel plate.

There is provided a method for producing a metal-plated stainless material, the method including performing an acid treatment of treating a stainless steel material with an acidic solution; performing an etching of treating the stainless steel material after the acid treatment with an etching treatment agent; and a modifying the surface of the stainless steel material after the etching into a state suitable for a metal plating process.

Provided are stainless steel for a separator of a polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cell, which exhibits enhanced hydrophilicity and enhanced corrosion resistance, and a method of manufacturing the same. In the stainless steel for a separator of a polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cell, which exhibits enhanced hydrophilicity and enhanced corrosion resistance, according to an embodiment of the present invention, a ratio of Cr hydroxide/Cr oxide included in a passivation film of the stainless steel ranges from 0.7 to 1.6, and the passivation film has a contact angle (θ) of 70° or less. Thus, not only corrosion resistance may be enhanced by removing a non-conductive film formed on a surface of the stainless steel and forming a new conductive film thereon, but hydrophilicity may also be secured without additional surface treatment such as a separate coating or the like, and thus manufacturing costs may be reduced and productivity may be increased.

Provided are stainless steel for a separator of a polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cell, which exhibits enhanced hydrophilicity and enhanced corrosion resistance, and a method of manufacturing the same. In the stainless steel for a separator of a polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cell, which exhibits enhanced hydrophilicity and enhanced corrosion resistance, according to an embodiment of the present invention, a ratio of Cr hydroxide/Cr oxide included in a passivation film of the stainless steel ranges from 0.7 to 1.6, and the passivation film has a contact angle (θ) of 70° or less. Thus, not only corrosion resistance may be enhanced by removing a non-conductive film formed on a surface of the stainless steel and forming a new conductive film thereon, but hydrophilicity may also be secured without additional surface treatment such as a separate coating or the like, and thus manufacturing costs may be reduced and productivity may be increased.

A gas channel forming plate is arranged between a membrane electrode assembly and a flat separator base. The gas channel forming plate includes gas channels arranged on a surface that faces the membrane electrode assembly, water channels each formed on the back side of the protrusion between an adjacent pair of the gas channels, communication passages that connect the gas channels and the water channels to each other, and guide portions formed by causing an inner wall surface of a gas channel to protrude inward in the gas channel. The guide portions are formed such that the upstream edge of each communication passage is arranged in a range in which, in the velocity vector of the gas flowing in the gas channel, the directional component directed from the side corresponding to the membrane electrode assembly toward the flat separator base has a positive value.

The invention relates to a metallic bipolar plate for use in an electrochemical cell, wherein the bipolar plate comprises an electrically conductive graphene-like coating. The graphene-like coating has a layer thickness between 10 nm and 1 μm. Chemical synthesis is initially carried out to produce the graphene-like coating according to the invention comprising one or more at least partially reduced graphene oxide layers. Proceeding from graphite powder, a graphite oxide powder is initially produced, which is subsequently converted into a stable graphene oxide (GO) suspension by way of ultrasonic dispersion. By depositing this suspension on a metallic carrier substrate (bipolar plate), thin graphene oxide layers can then be applied and subsequently be reduced to obtain at least partially reduced graphene oxide (rGO), which is referred to as graphene-like. This coating advantageously has sufficient stability and the necessary electrical conductivity for use in an electrochemical cell.

The invention relates to a metallic bipolar plate for use in an electrochemical cell, wherein the bipolar plate comprises an electrically conductive graphene-like coating. The graphene-like coating has a layer thickness between 10 nm and 1 μm. Chemical synthesis is initially carried out to produce the graphene-like coating according to the invention comprising one or more at least partially reduced graphene oxide layers. Proceeding from graphite powder, a graphite oxide powder is initially produced, which is subsequently converted into a stable graphene oxide (GO) suspension by way of ultrasonic dispersion. By depositing this suspension on a metallic carrier substrate (bipolar plate), thin graphene oxide layers can then be applied and subsequently be reduced to obtain at least partially reduced graphene oxide (rGO), which is referred to as graphene-like. This coating advantageously has sufficient stability and the necessary electrical conductivity for use in an electrochemical cell.

The surface of a substrate made of stainless steel foil is coated with a Sn alloy layer, with a strike layer in between. The coating weight of the strike layer is 0.001 g/m.sup.2 to 1 g/m.sup.2.

The surface of a substrate made of stainless steel foil is coated with a Sn alloy layer, with a strike layer in between. The coating weight of the strike layer is 0.001 g/m.sup.2 to 1 g/m.sup.2.

A ferritic stainless steel material is provided that has a chemical composition containing, by mass %, C: 0.001 to less than 0.020%, Si: 0.01 to 1.5%, Mn: 0.01 to 1.5%, P: 0.035% or less, S: 0.01% or less, Cr: 22.5 to 35.0%, Mo: 0.01 to 6.0%, Ni: 0.01 to 6.0%, Cu: 0.01 to 1.0%, N: 0.035% or less, V: 0.01 to 0.35%, B: 0.5 to 1.0%, Al: 0.001 to 6.0%, Sn: 0.02 to 2.50%, rare earth metal: 0 to 0.1%, Nb: 0 to 0.35%, Ti: 0 to 0.35%, and the balance: Fe and impurities, in which a value calculated as {Cr content (mass %)+3×Mo content (mass %)−2.5×B content (mass %)} is from 20 to 45%, and M.sub.2B boride-based metallic precipitates are dispersed in and exposed on the surface of a parent phase composed only of a ferritic phase.