Binder Jetting Additive Manufacturing of Niobium Enhanced Conductivity Composite Titanium Bipolar Plate

WANG Wanqing; ZHANG Jun; XU Zhutian; QIU Diankai; PENG Linfa

doi:10.3969/j.issn.1674-6457.2025.09.011

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Journal of Netshape Forming Engineering ›› 2025, Vol. 17 ›› Issue (9) : 115-125. DOI: 10.3969/j.issn.1674-6457.2025.09.011

Additive Manufacturing

Binder Jetting Additive Manufacturing of Niobium Enhanced Conductivity Composite Titanium Bipolar Plate

WANG Wanqing, ZHANG Jun, XU Zhutian^*, QIU Diankai, PENG Linfa

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Abstract

The work aims to fabricate titanium-based bipolar plate materials doped with varying proportions of niobium with binder jetting additive manufacturing technology and investigate the effects of material composition and sintering temperature on their microstructure, electrochemical performance, and electrical conductivity, so as to optimize the process and composition to enhance the electrical conductivity, corrosion resistance, and performance stability of titanium-based bipolar plate in water electrolyzer, providing a new idea for improving the performance and reducing the cost of existing precious metal coated bipolar plate. Titanium-niobium alloy samples with different compositions were prepared at different sintering temperatures through binder jetting additive manufacturing. The microstructure and phase composition of the samples were analyzed, and the corrosion resistance of the materials was evaluated through electrochemical testing. In addition, the interfacial contact resistance (ICR) was measured to evaluate the conductivity of different samples. The densification of titanium-niobium alloy significantly improved with the increase in sintering temperature. The density of Ti-10Nb reached 77.3% at 1 250 ℃. However, due to the difference in thermal expansion coefficients, microcracks formed at the interfaces in the sample with 20wt.% niobium powder, resulting in a higher porosity compared to the Ti-10Nb sample. The corrosion current density of the Ti-10Nb alloy sintered at 1 250 ℃ under a high potential of 2 V (vs. SHE) was 1.72×10^-4 A/cm², significantly lower than that of the pure titanium sample. After 20 h of constant potential polarization, the interfacial contact resistance was only 4.54 mΩ·cm², a 64.5% reduction compared to the pure titanium sample, indicating superior conductivity and durability of the surface plate. Ultimately, the composite titanium plate was successfully prototyped. This study demonstrates that titanium-niobium alloy composite bipolar plates for PEM water electrolyzers, fabricated via additive manufacturing, exhibit significantly improved conductivity and corrosion resistance compared to traditional titanium plates.

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hydrogen production by water electrolysis / additive manufacturing / binder jetting / bipolar plate / interfacial contact resistance

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WANG Wanqing, ZHANG Jun, XU Zhutian, QIU Diankai, PENG Linfa. Binder Jetting Additive Manufacturing of Niobium Enhanced Conductivity Composite Titanium Bipolar Plate[J]. Journal of Netshape Forming Engineering. 2025, 17(9): 115-125 https://doi.org/10.3969/j.issn.1674-6457.2025.09.011

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