Preparation and Properties of PEDOT-PSS/Waterborne Acrylic Resin Coating

Stainless steel (SS) is highly susceptible to corrosion in acidic environments, which significantly limits its applicability in such conditions. In this paper, a poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene)-polystyrene sulfonic acid (PEDOT-PSS)/waterborne acrylic resin (AR) composite coating was designed and prepared for enhancing the corrosion resistance of 304SS. Corrosion current density (jcorr) of the PEDOT-PSS/AR-coated 304SS at the simulated PEMFCs’ operating temperature (80 °C) is only 0.86 μA·cm−2which achieves the 2025 DOE goal (jcorr< 1 μA·cm−2). The improved corrosion resistance would be attributed to both the anode protection and barrier effect provided by the PEDOT-PSS/AR coating. Moreover, the 304SS coated by the PEDOT-PSS/AR obtains a lower interfacial contact resistance (ICR) of 37.01 mΩ·cm2at 1.4 MPa than that coated by the pure AR coating with the ICR of 167.95 mΩ·cm2. This eco-friendly, conducting, and anti-corrosive PEDOT-PSS/AR coating offers a new insight into high-performance applications for SS.