Comparison of electrochemical and surface characterisation methods for investigation of corrosion of bipolar plate materials in molten carbonate fuel cell - Part II. Surface analysis

The corrosion of bipolar plate materials in molten carbonate fuel cells (MCFC) was studied by electrochemical techniques. These methods were complemented by thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) and surface analyses, such as SEM, EDX and XRD. The concentration profiles of oxygen, lithium, iron, chromium and nickel in the oxide scales were determined by means of glow discharge optical emission spectroscopy (GDOES). It has been shown that corrosion layers, formed on the iron-chromium and stainless steels surfaces, consist of two layers. The outer layer is porous and has large pores; the inner layer is more compact and may contain small pores. (C) 1999 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.