Effects of environmental factors on corrosion behaviors of metal-fiber porous components in a simulated direct methanol fuel cell environment

To enable the use of metallic components in direct methanol fuel cells (DMFCs), issues related to corrosion resistance must be considered because of an acid environment induced by the solid electrolyte. In this study, we report the electrochemical behaviors of metal-fiber-based porous sintered components in a simulated corrosive environment of DMFCs. Three materials were evaluated: pure copper, AISI304, and AISI316L. The environmental factors and related mechanisms affecting the corrosion behaviors were analyzed. The results demonstrated that AISI316L exhibits the best performance. A higher SO (4) (2-) concentration increases the risk of material corrosion, whereas an increase in methanol concentration inhibits corrosion. The morphological features of the corroded samples were also characterized in this study.