Components with improved surface contact resistance and reaction activity, and methods for manufacturing the same.

Abstract

The present invention discloses a component for an electrochemical device, the component comprising a metal substrate and a plurality of particles bonded to a surface of the substrate by a metallurgical bond, the particles comprising a metal, carbon, or a combination thereof, the metallurgical bond being between the particles and the substrate, the total projected area of ​​the metallurgical bond being less than 90% of the total projected area of ​​the substrate, and the metallurgical bond having a composition that is a combination of the composition of the metal substrate and the composition of the particles, a reaction product of the metal substrate and the particles, or a combination thereof.

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] This invention claims priority to U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 62 / 981,879, filed on 26 February 2020, and all benefits under Title 35, Section 119 of the U.S. Patent Act, which are incorporated herein by reference in their entirety.

[0002] The present invention provides a component that reduces surface electrical contact resistance and improves electrode reaction activity, as well as a method for manufacturing the same. The component may be, for example, a bipolar plate or electrode for a battery, fuel cell, or electrolytic cell. [Background technology]

[0003] In fuel cell, flow cell, or electrolytic cell applications, dipole plates are used to connect adjacent cells. To minimize internal ohmic losses and maintain operational stability throughout their service life, dipole plates should ideally have low surface contact resistance and high corrosion resistance. In electrolytic cells and flow cells, electrodes with high reaction activity are desired to ensure efficient electrode reactions. [Overview of the project] [Problems that the invention aims to solve]

[0004] Improvements are desired in components such as bipolar plates with improved contact resistance and corrosion resistance, and electrodes with high reactive activity. [Means for solving the problem]

[0005] The present invention discloses a component for an electrochemical device, the component comprising a metal substrate and a plurality of particles bonded to the surface of the substrate by metallurgical bonding, wherein the particles comprise metal, carbon, or a combination thereof, the metallurgical bonding is between the particles and the substrate, the total projected area of ​​the metallurgical bonding is less than 90% of the total projected area of ​​the substrate, and the metallurgical bonding has a composition that is a combination of the composition of the metal substrate and the composition of the particles, a reaction product between the metal substrate and the particles, or a combination thereof.

[0006] The present invention discloses a method for manufacturing components for electrochemical devices, the method comprising providing a metal substrate, arranging a composition comprising a plurality of precursor particles on the metal substrate, wherein the precursor particles include metal, carbon, metal hydride, or a combination thereof, in order to provide a coated substrate, the precursor particles are in contact with less than 90% of the total projected area of ​​the substrate, and the average particle size of the precursor particles is less than 200 μm, the coated substrate is heat-treated to form particles from the precursor particles, and the particles are bonded to the substrate by a metallurgical bond formed between the particles and the metal substrate to manufacture the component, wherein the metallurgical bond has a composition that is a combination of the composition of the metal substrate and the composition of the particles, a reaction product between the metal substrate and the particles, or a combination thereof.

[0007] To further clarify the above and other advantages and features of this disclosure, embodiments thereof will be described in more detail with reference to the following attached drawings. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0008] [Figure 1] Figure 1 is a schematic cross-sectional view of a substrate containing particles metallurgically bonded to the substrate. [Figure 2] Figure 2 is a schematic cross-sectional view of a porous coating on a substrate. [Figure 3] Figure 3 is a schematic cross-sectional view of the two substrates and the metallurgical bonding layer between them. [Figure 4] Figure 4 is a photograph of a punched stainless steel bipolar plate for a fuel cell. [Figure 5] Figure 5 is a cross-sectional view of a stainless steel dipole plate. [Figure 6] Figure 6 is an SEM image of glassy carbon spherical particles metallurgically bonded to a titanium substrate. [Figure 7] Figure 7 is a graph of contact resistance (milliohms-cm², mΩ·cm²) against compressive pressure (pounds / square inch, PSI) comparing the surface contact resistance of felted carbon on a titanium plate with and without metallurgically bonded carbon particles on the surface. [Figure 8]Figure 8 is a SEM image of graphite particles metallurgically bonded to a titanium substrate. [Figure 9] Figure 9 is a SEM image of a composite material consisting of titanium particles metallurgically bonded to a stainless steel mesh and crushed carbon fiber particles. [Figure 10] Figure 10 is an SEM image showing the microstructure of a composite material of titanium particles and crushed carbon fiber particles. [Figure 11] Figure 11 is a SEM image of titanium particles metallurgically bonded to a titanium substrate. [Figure 12] Figure 12 is an SEM image of a porous titanium coating on a titanium substrate. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0009] The present invention will be described in further detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings illustrating various embodiments. However, the present invention can be embodied in many different forms and is not limited to the embodiments described herein. Nevertheless, these embodiments are provided to fully and completely illustrate the present invention and to allow those skilled in the art to fully understand the scope of the invention. The same reference numerals indicate the same components throughout.

[0010] In a fuel cell, flow battery, or electrolyzer stack, components (e.g., bipolar plates) are provided between adjacent cells to electrically connect the cells and separate reactants in adjacent cells. The bipolar plates are in electrical contact with other components (such as mass transport layers and electrodes) within the electrolyzer stack. However, solid-to-solid surface contact occurs only at the high points of the surface. Thereby, the number of contact points or the contact area is limited, and as a result, the electrical or thermal contact resistance of the surface becomes high. A method for reducing surface contact resistance is to use a soft material on the contact surface. The soft material can deform under pressure to conform to the surface morphology of the contacting components, thereby increasing the actual contact area between the two components. Representative soft materials for enhancing electrical or thermal contact include silver, gold, or tin. However, such soft materials are either very expensive or cannot provide suitable chemical stability or corrosion resistance for electrochemical devices (such as fuel cells or electrolyzers).

[0011] U.S. Patent No. 10,435,782 discloses altering the surface morphology to provide a microtextured structure of a corrosion-resistant material and reducing electrical contact resistance. The microtextured surface structure increases the actual contact area between components by deformation of the microtextured structure under compressive pressure, resulting in lower contact resistance. However, it has proven difficult to develop a low-cost and rapid manufacturing process for providing such microtextured structures for mass production. Similarly, using a pulsed laser to provide a microscale or nanoscale surface structure has proven to be inefficient and expensive for commercial applications.

[0012] U.S. Patent Application No. 2018 / 0309136 teaches using electrostatic force in a vacuum to mechanically bond particles to a substrate. Further evaluation has shown that the mechanically bonded interface between the particles and the substrate is prone to corrosion along the interface and ultimately results in poor bonding.

[0013] Adhesion with binders and brazing have also been considered, but it has been found that the resulting bonds do not provide the corrosion resistance suitable for electrochemical applications. Diffusion bonding, which presses components against each other at high pressure and high temperature, has also been considered. However, diffusion bonding has proven to be expensive and has not provided adequate corrosion resistance.

[0014] In an electrolytic cell or a flow battery, electrode activity can affect power and efficiency. A common way to improve reaction activity is to increase the surface area using highly active materials. Due to the corrosive operating environment of electrochemical devices, it is desirable to improve the bond between the electrode reaction active material and the electrode substrate (usually metal) to maintain the long-term durability of the electrodes.

[0015] The inventor has surprisingly found that by bonding particles to a metal substrate by metallurgical bonding, it is possible to provide components such as bipolar plates that improve the combination of contact resistance, reaction activity, and corrosion resistance while improving performance in electrochemical applications (in fuel cells, flow batteries, electrolytic cells).

[0016] The present invention discloses a component for an electrochemical device, the component comprising a metal substrate and a plurality of particles bonded to the surface of the substrate by metallurgical bonding, the particles comprising metal, carbon, or a combination thereof, the metallurgical bonding being between the particles and the substrate, the total projected area of the metallurgical bonding being less than 90% of the total projected area of the substrate, and the metallurgical bonding having a composition that is a combination of the composition of the metal substrate and the composition of the particles, a reaction product of the metal substrate and the particles, or a combination thereof.

[0017] FIG. 1 shows one aspect of the disclosed component, showing a metal substrate 11 and particles 12 bonded to the metal substrate by metallurgical bonding 13. In one aspect, in addition to the metallurgical bonding between the particles and the substrate, metallurgical bonding can be formed between the particles.

[0018] The metal substrate includes Ti, Nb, Ta, Ni, Cr, their alloys, stainless steel, or combinations thereof. The use of Ti or stainless steel (e.g., 316 or 304 stainless steel) is mentioned. The metal substrate may have any suitable form and may be completely dense or porous, and may be in the form of a film, toilet, screen, mesh, perforated film, expanded metal foil, or microporous sheet.

[0019] In one embodiment, expanded metal, mesh, perforated metal, or screen can be used as the substrate. The aperture area of ​​the substrate may be 10% to 90%, 20% to 80%, 30% to 70%, or 40% to 60% of the total projected area of ​​the substrate. For example, multiple layers of the above material can be used to form a multilayer substrate or a structure or composition gradient. The use of titanium felt or titanium sintered body has been mentioned. In one embodiment, a microporous sheet can be used, and the porosity may be 30% to 95%, 40% to 90%, 50% to 85%, or 55% to 80%, based on the volume of the substrate. Any suitable combination of the upper and lower limits of the aforementioned ranges can be used.

[0020] In one embodiment, the particles contain metal or carbon. In one embodiment, the particles contain metal, where the metal is Ti, Nb, Ta, Ni, Cr or alloys thereof, or combinations thereof. The use of Ti particles is mentioned. In one embodiment, the particles may contain intermetallic compounds of Ti, Nb, Ta, Ni, Cr, hydrides of Ti, Nb, Ta, Ni, Cr, or combinations thereof. The intermetallic compounds or hydrides may have fracture properties that contribute to the formation of particles of appropriate size. Figure 11 shows an SEM image of titanium particles metallurgically bonded to a titanium substrate. The smooth edges of the substrate-attached particles serve as an indicator of diffusion bonding between the titanium particles and the titanium substrate. It also shows bonding between titanium particles to form particle aggregates.

[0021] The average particle size may be less than 200 microns (μm), for example, 3 nanometers (nm) to 200 μm, 8 nm to 150 μm, 10 nm to 100 μm, 50 nm to 50 μm, or 500 nm to 10 μm. Examples of particles with average particle sizes include 3nm-200μm, 0.1-5μm, 3nm-8nm, 5nm-10nm, 7nm-100nm, 50nm-500nm, 10nm-20μm, 5nm-0.5μm, 20nm-1μm, 100nm-0.9μm, 20nm-5μm, 100nm-2μm, 0.5μm-5μm, 1μm-10μm, 5μm-20μm, 10μm-50μm, 20μm-70μm, 50μm-100μm, 70μm-170μm, or 150μm-200μm. Any suitable combination of the upper and lower limits of the aforementioned ranges can be used. The particle shape can be any suitable shape, including spherical, elliptical, or fibrous. The particles may also be primary particles or aggregates of secondary particles. Metal particles with an average particle size of 50 nm to 10 μm, such as titanium particles with an average particle size of 100 nm to 5 μm, are mentioned. While we do not wish to be bound by theory, it is understood that smaller particles (e.g., particles with an average particle size of 100 nm to 5 μm) can achieve metallurgical bonding faster and at lower temperatures or pressures than when larger particles are used.

[0022] In one embodiment, the particles contain carbon. The carbon may be amorphous carbon, graphite, carbon fiber, or a combination thereof. While we do not wish to be bound by theory, when carbon is used, it is understood that the metallurgical bond involves carbides formed between the carbon particles and the metal substrate formed by the reaction between the carbon particles and the metal. Also, larger particles can be used due to the high reactivity of carbon and metal. The use of carbon particles with an average particle size of less than 200 μm has been mentioned. The average particle sizes of these carbon particles may be 50 nm to 500 nm, 100 nm to 1 μm, 500 nm to 2 μm, 1 μm to 5 μm, 1 μm to 10 μm, 5 μm to 20 μm, 10 μm to 50 μm, 20 μm to 70 μm, 50 μm to 100 μm, 70 μm to 170 μm, or 150 μm to 200 μm. Any suitable combination of the upper and lower limits of the aforementioned ranges can be used. The carbon may be in the form of fibrous particles. The fibrous particles may have a fiber diameter of 3 nm to 20 μm, preferably 1 to 10 μm. The diameter of the carbon fibers may be 3 nm to 8 nm, 5 nm to 10 nm, 7 nm to 100 nm, 50 nm to 500 nm, 10 nm to 20 μm, 5 nm to 0.5 μm, 20 nm to 1 μm, 100 nm to 0.9 μm, 20 nm to 5 μm, 100 nm to 2 μm, 0.5 μm to 5 μm, 1 μm to 10 μm, or 5 μm to 20 μm. Any suitable combination of the upper and lower limits of the aforementioned ranges can be used.

[0023] In one embodiment, the substrate and particles are coated on their surfaces before metallurgical bonding. The coating is used to enhance the corrosion resistance and bonding activity of the substrate and particles. The metallurgical bond can be formed with the coating material.

[0024] The dimensions (e.g., length) of the cross-sectional view of the bonding interface of the metallurgical bond formed between the particle and the substrate correspond to the particle size. For example, the average length of the metallurgical bond may be less than 200 μm, for example, 3 nm to 200 μm, 8 nm to 150 μm, 10 nm to 100 μm, 50 nm to 50 μm, or 500 nm to 10 μm. Furthermore, the area of ​​the metallurgical bond formed between the particle and the substrate is 200 μm. 2Less than, for example, 3 nm 2 ~200 μm 2 、8 nm 2 ~150 μm 2 、10 nm 2 ~100 μm 2 、50 nm 2 ~50 μm 2 、or 500 nm 2 ~10 μm 2 may also be.

[0025] Although not wishing to be bound by theory, it is understood that the use of an amount of particles such that the particles cover a portion of the total projected area of the metal substrate facilitates the formation of a metallurgical bond having the desired properties. Although not wishing to be bound by theory, by using a certain content of particles to cover less than 90% of the total area of the substrate, it is believed that the formation of a metallurgical bond and the thermal stress during the application of the component can be avoided even when there is a significant mismatch between the thermal expansion coefficients of the particles and the substrate. As used herein, the term "projected area" means the two-dimensional area determined in a plan view, regardless of the modularity or porosity that the substrate may have. In one aspect, it is mentioned that an amount of particles is used to cover less than 90% of the total projected area of the substrate, or 1 - 90%, 10 - 80%, 20 - 70%, 30 - 70%, or 40 - 50%. The area of the metallurgical bond between the particles and the substrate may be less than 90% of the total projected area of the substrate, or 1% - 90%, 10% - 80%, 20% - 70%, 30% - 70% or 40% - 50% of the total projected area of the substrate. Any suitable combination of the upper and lower limits of the foregoing ranges can be used.

[0026] In one embodiment, the particles cover less than 90% of the total projected area of ​​the substrate, and adjacent particles may be separated by an average distance of, for example, 5 nm to 200 μm, such as 5 nm to 10 nm, 7 nm to 100 nm, 50 nm to 500 nm, 10 nm to 20 μm, 5 nm to 0.5 μm, 20 nm to 1 μm, 100 nm to 0.9 μm, 20 nm to 5 μm, 100 nm to 2 μm, 0.5 μm to 5 μm, 1 μm to 10 μm, 5 μm to 20 μm, 10 μm to 50 μm, 20 μm to 70 μm, 50 μm to 100 μm, 70 μm to 170 μm, or 150 μm to 200 μm. Any suitable combination of the upper and lower limits of the aforementioned ranges can be used.

[0027] The particles further contain ceramic particles, which include carbides, oxides, nitrides, silicides, or combinations thereof. While we do not wish to be bound by theory, it is understood that the inclusion of ceramic particles reduces thermal stress by bonding these ceramic particles to the metal particles mentioned above. Typical carbides include titanium carbide, niobium carbide, silicon carbide, tantalum carbide, tungsten carbide, iron carbide, chromium carbide, and zirconium carbide. Typical oxides include aluminum oxide, titanium oxide, niobium oxide, tantalum oxide, zirconium oxide, cerium oxide, silicon dioxide, tungsten oxide, and cerium oxide. Typical nitrides include titanium nitride, chromium nitride, aluminum nitride, niobium nitride, tantalum nitride, zirconium nitride, tungsten nitride, vanadium nitride, tantalum nitride, and niobium nitride. Typical silicides include nickel silicide, niobium silicide, titanium silicide, molybdenum silicide, and tungsten silicide. Any combination including at least one of the aforementioned can be used. The use of aluminum oxide is mentioned.

[0028] In one embodiment, particles bonded to a metal substrate form a porous coating, and Figure 2 shows a metal substrate 21 and a porous coating 22 containing metallurgically bonded particles. The average pore size of the porous coating may be 3 nm to 100 μm, for example, 3 nm to 100 μm, 10 nm to 50 μm, or 50 nm to 500 μm. The use of pore sizes of 3 nm to 7 nm, 5 nm to 10 nm, 7 nm to 20 nm, 50 nm to 500 nm, 10 nm to 20 μm, 5 nm to 0.5 μm, 20 nm to 1 μm, 100 nm to 0.9 μm, 20 nm to 5 μm, 100 nm to 2 μm, 0.5 μm to 5 μm, 1 μm to 10 μm, 5 μm to 20 μm, 10 μm to 50 μm, 20 μm to 100 μm, or 50 μm to 100 μm has been mentioned. In one embodiment, the thickness of the porous coating 22 may be in the range of 1 μm to 1 millimeter (mm), for example, 1 μm to 10 μm, 5 μm to 20 μm, 10 μm to 100 μm, 50 μm to 200 μm, 100 μm to 500 μm, 200 μm to 800 μm, 500 μm to 1000 μm, or 700 μm to 1 mm. Any suitable combination of the upper and lower limits of the aforementioned ranges can be used. Although we do not wish to be constrained by theory, it is understood that the metallurgical bonding of particles to the substrate can reduce shrinkage, for example, by suppressing particle shrinkage in the vertical direction (e.g., the direction perpendicular to the substrate surface) and suppressing or eliminating shrinkage in the in-plane direction of the substrate (e.g., the direction along the surface of the substrate). By eliminating in-plane shrinkage, a porous coating 22 that conforms to the shape and structure of the substrate but does not deform can be formed. Furthermore, by applying a process of depositing and bonding multiple particles, multiple layers can be provided, resulting in a porous layer with increased thickness. Figure 12 shows an example of an SEM image of a porous titanium coating applied to the surface of a titanium substrate.

[0029] In one embodiment, a second substrate is provided and may be metallurgically bonded to particles. The second substrate may be, for example, a mass transport layer for a fuel cell or electrolytic cell. Figure 3 shows a component having a metal substrate 31A, a second substrate 31B, and a discontinuous bonding layer 32 between the metal substrate 31A and the second substrate 31B. The discontinuous bonding layer 32 includes particles 33 bonded to the metal substrate 31A by first metallurgical bonds 34A and second metallurgical bonds 34B bonded to the second substrate 31B. The thickness of the discontinuous bonding layer 32 is in the range of 1 μm to 0.5 mm, for example, 1 μm to 500 μm, 5 μm to 200 μm, or 10 μm to 100 μm. Any suitable combination of the upper and lower limits of the aforementioned ranges can be used. As shown in Figure 3, particles are arranged between the metal substrate and the second substrate, and the substrates are bonded to each other by metallurgical bonds with these particles, with continuous bonding with the particles in a direction perpendicular to the substrate and discontinuous in the in-plane direction.

[0030] The second substrate may be the same as or different from the metal substrate. The second substrate may include carbon or Ti, Nb, Ta, Al, Ni, Cr, their alloys, stainless steel, or combinations thereof. The second substrate may have any suitable form and may be completely dense or porous, and may be in the form of a film, toilet, screen, mesh, perforated film, expanded metal foil, or microperforated plate. In one embodiment, the second substrate may include carbon and may be porous nonwoven carbon paper. In one embodiment, the second substrate may include metal and may be an expanded metal substrate such as a screen or mesh.

[0031] Examples of metal substrates for fuel cells are shown in Figures 4 and 5, illustrating the dipole plates of a fuel cell. To form the dipole plates, flow field channels 41 are punched out of stainless steel foil to provide flat areas 52 and valley areas 51. The flat areas 51 are in electrical contact with a second substrate (e.g., a gas diffusion layer (GDL)). To improve water management, it may be desirable to form deeper channels. However, due to the limitations of the properties of the metal foil (e.g., elongation), it is difficult to obtain deep channels simply by punching them out. The channel depth can be increased by adding a thick porous coating of particles to the top of the flat areas 52. The particles may be metal only, or a mixture of metal and carbon particles. The particles are deposited on the flat areas, and the dipole plates having particles on the flat areas 51 are heat-treated to bond the particles to the substrate, forming a substrate with flow channels and a thicker porous coating on the flat areas. The thickness of the porous coating is between 0.01 mm and 0.5 mm, for example, 0.01 mm to 0.05 mm, 0.02 mm to 0.1 mm, 0.05 mm to 0.2 mm, 0.1 mm to 0.3 mm, or 0.2 mm to 0.5 mm. The use of titanium particles for thick porous coatings in the flat area 52 is mentioned. The use of a mixture of titanium and carbon powder to reduce surface contact resistance is also mentioned.

[0032] If necessary, additional coatings can be applied to modify the surface properties. For example, without additional coatings, the component may have a superhydrophilic water contact angle, e.g., less than 90°, e.g., 5° to 40°, 10° to 20°, or less than 15°. In one embodiment, a hydrophobic material (such as polytetrafluoroethylene) can be applied to the porous surface layer to provide a superhydrophobic surface with a contact angle > 150° (e.g., 170°).

[0033] In one embodiment, a porous metal layer is used as a mass transport layer in an electrolytic cell. The pore size is 20 μm to 500 μm. The use of porous titanium particle sintered bodies or titanium felt is mentioned. Naturally, large pores are preferred for the movement of gas through the mass transport layer, and small pores are preferred for the transport of water through the mass transport layer. However, conventional manufacturing processes make it difficult to have both micro-sized (less than 1 μm) and macro-sized pores. In the disclosed components, a microporous metal coating is formed on the core structure of a macroporous metal mass transport layer to form a mixed porous layer containing both micro-sized and macro-sized pores. The pore size range of the microporous coating is 3 nm to 1 μm. Water can be drawn up from the micron-sized pores to maintain a continuous water supply to the electrodes, and gas flow can be maintained through the macro-sized pores. The capillary force of water in the micron-sized pores prevents gas from entering the microporous coating, resulting in intermittent water supply. In the mixed porous structure, gas and water are transported through different pathways. The particle size is 3 nm to 2 μm, preferably 10 nm to 1 μm, for example, 3 nm to 8 nm, 5 nm to 10 nm, 7 nm to 100 nm, 50 nm to 500 nm, 10 nm to 1 μm, 200 nm to 2 μm, or 0.5 μm to 2 μm.

[0034] As described later, the components can be evaluated by treating a pH 3 H2SO4 solution with 0.1 ppm HF and 0.8 VnHe at 80°C, and then measuring the surface contact resistance using carbon paper (e.g., AvCarb MGL 190) at a compression pressure of 200 PSI. The details are incorporated herein by reference in their entirety, as defined in the Department of Energy's (DOE) Hydrogen and Fuel Cell Technology Office's Multi-Year Research, Development and Demonstration Program (https: / / www.energy.gov / eere / fuelcells / downloads / hydrogen-and-fuel-cell-technologies-office-multi-year-research-development). When evaluated by the DOE method, the disclosed components have a surface contact resistance of 0.1 to 10 mΩ.cm, depending on the fuel cell application. 25-8 mΩ.cm 2 , or 1-5 mΩ.cm 2 That's fine.

[0035] The present invention discloses a method for manufacturing components for electrochemical devices, the method comprising providing a metal substrate, arranging a composition comprising a plurality of precursor particles on the metal substrate, wherein the precursor particles include metal, carbon, metal hydride, or a combination thereof, in order to provide a coated substrate, the precursor particles are in contact with less than 90% of the total projected area of ​​the substrate, and the average particle size of the precursor particles is less than 200 μm, the coated substrate is heat-treated to form particles from the precursor particles, and the particles are bonded to the substrate by a metallurgical bond formed between the particles and the metal substrate to manufacture the component, wherein the metallurgical bond has a composition that is a combination of the composition of the metal substrate and the composition of the particles, a reaction product between the metal substrate and the particles, or a combination thereof.

[0036] The precursor particles include metals, carbon, metal hydrides, or combinations of Ti, Nb, Ta, Ni, Cr, alloys thereof, or combinations thereof. The use of alloys or intermetallic compounds of Ti, Nb, Ta, Ni, or Cr is mentioned. In one embodiment, the precursor particles include titanium hydride. The use of a combination of titanium particles and carbon particles to form a metallurgical bond including titanium carbide is mentioned. The particle size of the precursor particles may be less than 200 micrometers (μm), for example, 3 nanometers (nm) to 200 μm, 8 nm to 150 μm, 10 nm to 100 μm, 50 nm to 50 μm, or 500 nm to 10 μm. The content of precursor particles on the substrate may be set to cover 1% to 90%, 6% to 80%, 10% to 70%, 20% to 60%, or 40% to 50% of the total projected area of ​​the substrate. Any suitable combination of the upper and lower limits of the aforementioned ranges can be used.

[0037] Any suitable combination of the upper and lower limits of the aforementioned range can be used. In one embodiment, a combination of precursor particles is employed. While we do not wish to be bound by theory, it is understood that metallurgical bonding with reduced shrinkage can be performed at lower temperatures by using particles with different melting temperatures; for example, particles with lower melting temperatures can bond to the substrate with particles with higher melting temperatures.

[0038] The composition further includes multiple ceramic particles, which include carbides, oxides, nitrides, or combinations thereof, as further described above. While we do not wish to be bound by theory, it is understood that using ceramic particles can suppress shrinkage.

[0039] Compositions containing precursor particles can be arranged in any suitable manner. Dry powder deposition using a carrier or vehicle (such as an organic solvent), or coating or tape casting are disclosed. Dry powder deposition may include electrostatic deposition of dry powder containing precursor particles. In the electrostatic deposition process, particles may be charged, and the charged particles may be arranged on a metal substrate under an applied electric field. While we do not wish to be bound by theory, it is understood that electrostatic deposition may be desirable in some cases to reduce particle aggregation and provide a more uniform particle layer on the substrate. Alternatively, the precursor particles may be dispersed in a solvent containing a binder to form a slurry, and then dispersed in the slurry to be coated onto the substrate. The binder may include binders used in ceramic processes, such as polyvinyl butyral or polyethylene carbonate. Additional details of the coating process can be determined by those skilled in the art without excessive experimentation.

[0040] In one embodiment, the heat treatment may include heat treatment at a temperature lower than the melting temperature of the particles and lower than the melting temperature of the metal substrate or second substrate. While we do not wish to be bound by theory, it is understood that the heat treatment generates metallurgical bonds obtained by cross-diffusion or chemical reactions, causing the particles to come into contact with the substrate and forming metallurgical bonds at the particle-substrate interface. The heat treatment may include heat treatment at 300°C to 1200°C (e.g., 400°C to 1000°C, or 800°C or below). Preferably, by employing a bonding temperature of 800°C or below, distortion of the metal substrate can be avoided. In one embodiment, the use of a temperature at least 500°C lower than the melting temperature of the substrate is mentioned to avoid substrate distortion. Avoiding distortion may be advantageous when the components (e.g., bipolar plates) include structural features such as flow channels. Furthermore, while we do not wish to be constrained by theory, the disclosed particle sizes are thought to enable the formation of metallurgical bonds in shorter timeframes (e.g., 0.001 hours to 20 hours, 0.01 hours to 10 hours, or 0.1 hours to 5 hours). Heat treatment may include in-furnace heat treatment, or may include laser heat treatment, electron beam heat treatment, infrared (IR) heat treatment, or plasma heat treatment. In laser heating, a high-intensity laser beam is used to scan a substrate loaded with precursor particles, heating the substrate surface to form metallurgical bonds and bond the particles to the substrate. In another embodiment, a high-intensity IR lamp is used. Heating by electron beam heating is mentioned to achieve rapid heating.

[0041] Heat treatment may include heat treatment in a vacuum or in a non-oxidizing atmosphere (e.g., argon, helium, or a combination thereof).

[0042] The method may further include pressing the coated substrate at a pressure of 1 to 500 pounds per square inch (PSI), 20 to 400 PSI, or 50 to 100 PSI. If a second substrate is used, the pressing may include applying pressure to the metal substrate and the second substrate to compress the particles.

[0043] In one embodiment, a textured carbon coating is formed in a single step of melting carbon particles and simultaneously depositing the molten particles. High temperatures are used to melt the carbon particles because carbon has a high melting point (approximately 3550°C). The high-temperature heat source may be a plasma, a high-power pulsed laser, or an electric arc. At high temperatures, the carbon particles are partially evaporated, and the resulting coating has a textured structure, which includes carbon protrusions covering part of the base surface, while the rest of the surface is covered with a thin film of carbon coating.

[0044] Here, "metallurgical bonding" refers to a type of chemical bond between two solid materials (including at least one metallic material) formed at high temperatures. There are two types of metallurgical bonding. One is diffusion bonding, where the two materials cross-diffuse at high temperatures to form a continuous connection. The other is reaction bonding, where the two materials react at the point of contact. The reaction products connect the two materials. Both types of metallurgical bonding achieve atomic-level mixing of the two materials and can extend the two materials from point contact to surface / interface contact. Atomic-level mixing and a large contact area ensure a durable bond between the two materials.

[0045] In some embodiments, the metallurgical bond has a composition that is a combination of the composition of the metal substrate and the composition of the particles, a reaction product between the metal substrate and the particles, or a combination thereof. The composition of the metallurgical bond may also be a combination of the composition of the substrate and the composition of the particles. In some embodiments, the metallurgical bond includes a reaction product of the particles, a reaction product between the particles and the substrate, or a combination thereof.

[0046] The thickness of the metallurgical bond may be 0.5 nm to 5 nm, for example, 0.5 nm to 50 μm, 1 nm to 10 nm, 5 nm to 50 nm, 10 nm to 50 nm, 10 nm to 100 μm, 50 nm to 0.2 μm, 100 nm to 1 μm, 500 nm to 5 μm, 20 nm to 5 μm, 1 μm to 10 μm, 5 μm to 20 μm, 10 μm to 50 μm, or 20 μm to 50 μm. Any suitable combination of the upper and lower limits of the aforementioned ranges can be used.

[0047] In this method, the heat-treated components can be cleaned to remove, for example, unbound particles. The cleaning involves bringing the heat-treated components into contact with a fluid (e.g., air or water), and may include, for example, ultrasonic water bath cleaning or acid cleaning.

[0048] In this specification, "average particle size" refers to the particle diameter corresponding to 50% of the particles in a distribution curve where particles are accumulated in order of particle size from smallest to largest, and the accumulated number of particles reaches 100%. The average particle size can be measured by methods known to those skilled in the art. For example, the average particle size can be measured with a particle size analyzer (e.g., dynamic light scattering method), or with a transmission electron microscope (TEM) or scanning electron microscope (SEM).

[0049] The present invention discloses a component for an electrochemical device, the component comprising a metal substrate and a plurality of particles bonded to the surface of the substrate by metallurgical bonding, wherein the particles comprise metal, carbon, or a combination thereof, the metallurgical bonding is between the particles and the substrate and between the particles, the total projected area of ​​the metallurgical bonding is less than 90% of the total projected area of ​​the substrate, and the metallurgical bonding has a composition that is a combination of the composition of the metal substrate and the composition of the particles, a reaction product between the metal substrate and the particles, or a combination thereof.

[0050] The present invention discloses a method for manufacturing components for electrochemical devices, the method comprising providing a metal substrate, arranging a composition comprising a plurality of precursor particles on the metal substrate, wherein the precursor particles include metal, carbon, metal hydride, or a combination thereof, in order to provide a coated substrate, the precursor particles are in contact with less than 90% of the total projected area of ​​the substrate, and the average particle size of the precursor particles is less than 200 μm, the coated substrate is heat-treated to form particles from the precursor particles, and the particles are bonded to the substrate by a metallurgical bond formed between the particles and the metal substrate to manufacture the component, wherein the metallurgical bond has a composition that is a combination of the composition of the metal substrate and the composition of the particles, a reaction product between the metal substrate and the particles, or a combination thereof.

[0051] In any of the embodiments described above, the metal substrate may include Ti, Nb, Ta, Ni, Cr, their alloys, stainless steel, or a combination thereof. The particles include a metal, which may be Ti, Nb, Ta, Ni, Cr, their alloys, or a combination thereof. Some particles have an average particle size of less than 20 μm, while others are metal particles with an average particle size of 50 nm to 10 μm. The particles include carbon, which may be amorphous carbon, graphite, carbon fiber, or a combination thereof, with an average particle size of less than 200 μm. The total projected area of ​​the metallurgical bond may be 1% to 70% of the total projected area of ​​the substrate. Optionally, the substrate may further include a plurality of ceramic particles, which may include carbides, oxides, nitrides, silicides, or a combination thereof. Optionally, the component may be a bipolar plate for a fuel cell or electrolytic cell. The bipolar plates were treated with a pH 3 solution of H2SO4 and 0.1 ppm HF at 80°C and 0.8 VNHE for 100 hours, followed by compression at a pressure of 200 PSI to 10 mΩ-cm². 2It may have a surface electrical contact resistance of less than 1. Optionally, the component may be an electrode for an electrolytic cell or flow battery. Optionally, a second substrate is further included on the side of the plurality of particles opposite the metal substrate, where the second substrate comprises carbon or Ti, Nb, Ta, Ni, Cr, their alloys, stainless steel, or a combination thereof, the particles are bonded to the second substrate by a second metallurgical bond between the particles and the second substrate, the projected area of ​​the second metallurgical bond being less than 90% of the total projected area of ​​the second substrate, and the second metallurgical bond having a composition that is a combination of the composition of the second substrate and the composition of the particles, a reaction product between the second substrate and the particles, or a combination thereof. The metal substrate and the second substrate may have the same composition. The second substrate has a plurality of layers having a structural or compositional gradient, the second substrate is a metal screen having an opening area of ​​10% to 90% based on the total projected area of ​​the second substrate, and the second substrate is a porous mass transport layer with a porosity of 30% to 95%. Optionally, the electrochemical device may be a fuel cell, a battery, an electrolytic cell, a capacitor, etc. The metal substrate may include Ti, Nb, Ta, Al, Ni, Cr, their alloys, stainless steel, or combinations thereof. The precursor particles may include Ti, Nb, Ta, Al, Cr, their alloys, their intermetallic compounds, their hydrides, or combinations thereof, with an average particle size of 50 nm to 20 μm. The precursor particles may include carbon particles with an average particle size of less than 200 μm, and the precursor particles may cover 3% to 90% of the total projected area of ​​the substrate. The heat treatment may include heat treatment in a vacuum or a non-oxidizing atmosphere, and the heat treatment may include electron beam surface heating or laser surface heating. The composition may include a plurality of ceramic particles, which may include carbides, oxides, or combinations thereof.The present invention further optionally includes arranging a second substrate on the opposite side of a metal substrate of multiple particles, wherein the second substrate comprises carbon or Ti, Nb, Ta, Ni, Cr or alloys thereof, stainless steel or a combination thereof, the particles are bonded to the second substrate by a second metallurgical bond between the particles and the second substrate, the total projected area of ​​the second metallurgical bond is less than 90% of the total projected area of ​​the substrate, and the second metallurgical bond has a composition that is a combination of the composition of the second substrate and the composition of the particles, a reaction product between the second substrate and the particles, or a combination thereof.

[0052] Examples Comparative Example 1: Sputtered carbon on titanium A commercially available Grade 2 titanium foil was used as the substrate. The titanium foil was coated with 50nm Ti and 100nm carbon (SP-C coating) across its entire surface by sputtering deposition.

[0053] Example 1: Crushed carbon fibers on titanium foil A commercially available Grade 2 titanium foil was used as the substrate. After loosely scattering crushed carbon fiber particles onto the surface, it was heat-treated in argon at 900°C for 1 hour. The crushed carbon fiber particles had a diameter of 8 μm and a length of 50 μm to 200 μm. The crushed carbon fiber particles partially covered the titanium surface and could not be removed by ultrasonic cleaning, indicating a strong bond between the carbon fibers and titanium.

[0054] contact resistance The electrical contact resistance of the coated titanium foils of Comparative Example 1 and Example 1 was measured before and after a standard corrosion test using AvCarb MGL 190 carbon paper. The accelerated corrosion test was performed in a pH 3 H2SO4 solution at 80°C with a pressure of 0.1 ppm HF and 1.4 VNHE. Electrical contact resistance before and after the corrosion test was measured using AvCarb MGL 190 carbon paper at a compression pressure of 200 PSI.

[0055] In Comparative Example 1, the surface contact resistance was 4.0 mQ.cm after performing a 1.4VNHE corrosion test for 0.5 hours and 2 hours. 2 From 28 mQ.cm 2and 333 mQ.cm 2 The respective values ​​increased. After the corrosion test, the surface composition of Comparative Example 1 was analyzed using X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). XPS analysis confirmed that the titanium surface was covered with carbon, indicating that the carbon coating was not completely consumed during the corrosion test. While we do not wish to be bound by theory, the high contact resistance is thought to be due to the interface between the carbon and the titanium substrate, more specifically, because the oxidation of titanium brings titanium oxide beneath the carbon coating.

[0056] In comparison, the contact resistance of Example 1 increased from an initial 0.7 mQ.cm² to 1.4 mQ.cm² and 1.7 mQ.cm², respectively, after 1.5 hours and 6 hours of 1.4VNHE corrosion testing. Optical microscopy observation confirmed that the majority of the carbon fibers were still bonded to the titanium surface. The durability of carbon fiber coatings on titanium is understood to be due to metallurgical bonding, including titanium carbide.

[0057] Example 2: Graphite on Titanium To demonstrate the applicability of bipolar plates to fuel cells and electrolytic cells, commercially available pure titanium foil was selected as a substrate for surface modification to achieve low surface electrical contact resistance. The thickness of the titanium foil was 0.1 mm. For the particle material, graphite powder (Alfa Aesar #46304) with an average particle size of 7 μm to 11 μm was used.

[0058] A slurry containing 20% ​​by weight (wt%) graphite (based on the total weight of the slurry) was prepared by dispersing graphite particles in an ethanol solution. The slurry was coated onto a titanium surface and dried, leaving graphite particles on the surface. Next, the titanium foil coated with graphite particles, which had been heat-treated in a vacuum chamber, was surface-heat-treated with a focused electron beam. The graphite particles reacted with the titanium, forming a metallurgical bond containing titanium carbide between the graphite particles and the titanium foil.

[0059] After the bonding step, the bipolar plates were cleaned in an ultrasonic bath to remove loosened graphite particles. Metallurgically bonded graphite particles remained on the titanium substrate surface. Figure 8 shows an SEM image of the graphite particles bonded to the titanium foil surface.

[0060] Example 3: Glassy carbon on titanium A commercially available pure titanium foil was used as the substrate. A titanium foil with a thickness of 0.1 mm was used as the substrate. Glassy carbon spherical powder (Alfa Aesar #3489) with a particle size of 10 μm to 20 μm was used as the particle material. The glass carbon powder was dispersed in an ethanol solution by ultrasonic dispersion. Next, polyvinyl butyral was added to the slurry as a binder. Based on the total weight of the slurry, the concentration of carbon particles in the slurry was 15 wt%, and the concentration of the binder was 2 wt%.

[0061] A titanium plate was immersed in a carbon particle slurry to coat the titanium surface with a thin layer of the slurry. Next, the coated titanium plate was heat-treated in a vacuum at 800°C for 1 hour to metallurgically bond the carbon particles to the titanium. After heat treatment, the titanium plate was cleaned in an ultrasonic bath to remove unbonded carbon particles. Bonded particles remained on the surface of the titanium plate. Figure 6 shows an SEM image of glassy carbon spherical particles metallurgically bonded to the titanium surface. Figure 7 shows the electrical contact resistance of carbon particle-bonded titanium plates (Ti w / C) with carbon paper (AvCarb MGL 190) at different compression pressures compared to the electrical contact resistance of a titanium plate without carbon particles bonded to its surface (Ti w / C). Figure 7 shows that the electrical contact resistance of the titanium plate with carbon felt was 82 mΩ.cm at a compression pressure of 200 PSI. 2 From 1.6 mΩ.cm 2 This indicates that it has been reduced to [a certain value].

[0062] Example 4: Titanium-carbon composite material on stainless steel To demonstrate the applicability of bipolar plates to fuel cells or electrodes to zinc-bromine flow batteries, a stainless steel mesh was used as a substrate. The center of the stainless steel mesh was punched out to form a channel structure. Titanium powder and pulverized carbon fiber particles were mixed in ethanol using polyvinyl butyral as a binder. The average particle size of the titanium powder was 2.2 μm, and the pulverized carbon fibers had an average fiber diameter of 8 μm and a length of 50-200 μm. The volume ratio of titanium to carbon was 1:1, and based on the total weight of the slurry, the particle concentration in the slurry was 25 wt%, and the binder concentration was 5 wt%.

[0063] A stainless steel mesh was immersed in a slurry, coating the mesh with a layer of slurry. After drying the slurry on the stainless steel mesh, the mesh was heat-treated in a vacuum at 800°C for 1 hour. Titanium particles and carbon fiber particles were metallurgically bonded together with the stainless steel mesh, forming a porous metal-carbon composite plate. The resulting component retained a net structure with punched stainless steel mesh and flow channels.

[0064] While we do not wish to be bound by theory, it is understood that stainless steel mesh retains titanium and carbon particles during heat treatment, suppressing particle shrinkage in a direction perpendicular to the substrate surface and minimizing in-plane shrinkage. Figure 9 shows an SEM image of the coated stainless steel mesh. Figure 10 shows a magnified view of the microstructure of Ti particles and crushed carbon fiber particles coated on the stainless steel mesh.

[0065] Example 5: Titanium on stainless steel A 316L stainless steel foil was used as the substrate. The thickness of the stainless steel foil was 0.1 mm. Titanium powder with a particle size of 2.2 μm was used as the particle material.

[0066] 10 g of titanium powder was dispersed in 30 g of ethanol solution by ultrasonic dispersion. Next, 20 g of 15 wt% polyvinyl butyral ethanol solution was added to the titanium powder slurry. The mixture was passed through a roller mixer for 12 hours to completely mix the titanium powder and polyvinyl butyral to form a slurry. The slurry was applied to stainless steel foil using an air spray gun and dried at 80°C for 1 hour. The titanium particle coating on the dried stainless steel foil was approximately 25 μm thick. The coated stainless steel foil was heat-treated in a vacuum at 750°C for 1 hour to metallurgically bond the titanium particles to the surface of the stainless steel foil. Next, the stainless steel plate was ultrasonically cleaned to remove any loosened titanium powder. The titanium powder formed a rough, porous structure on the surface of the stainless steel.

[0067] Example 6: Graphite on porous titanium A porous titanium felt was used as the substrate. The titanium felt had a thickness of 250 μm and a porosity of 75%. Graphite powder (Alfa Aesar 46304) was used as the particle material. The graphite powder was dispersed in an ethanol solution together with polyvinyl butyral to form a stable slurry. Based on the total weight of the slurry, the slurry contained 5 wt% graphite and 1 wt% polyvinyl butyral. Next, the titanium felt was immersed in the slurry to support the graphite particles on the titanium felt. After drying the slurry, the graphite-supported titanium felt was heat-treated at 750°C for 1 hour to metallurgically bond the graphite particles to the titanium felt. The graphite particles functioned as electrode reaction sites when the component was used as an electrode in a flow cell. By metallurgically bonding the graphite particles to the titanium felt, platinum coating became unnecessary.

[0068] Furthermore, when one element is located "on top of" another element, it can be directly located on that other element, or an intervening element can exist between them. In contrast, when one element is "located on top of another element," there is no intervening element.

[0069] In this specification, terms such as “first,” “second,” and “third” may be used to describe various elements, components, regions, layers, and / or sections, but these elements, components, regions, layers, and / or sections should not be limited by these terms. These terms are used solely to distinguish one element, component, region, layer, or section from another element, component, region, layer, or section. Accordingly, the “first element,” “first component,” “first region,” “first layer,” or “first section” described below may be referred to as the second element, second component, second region, second layer, or second section without departing from the teachings of this specification.

[0070] The terms used herein are intended solely to describe and not limit to specific embodiments. Where used herein, “one,” “the,” and “at least one” are not intended to indicate a limit on quantity and are intended to include both singular and plural forms unless otherwise clearly indicated by the context. For example, “one element” is synonymous with “at least one element” unless otherwise clearly indicated by the context. “At least one” should not be interpreted as limiting to “one.” “Or” means “and / or.” Where used herein, the term “and / or” includes any or all combination of one or more items relating to it. Also, where used herein, the terms “equipment” and / or “contain” or “contain” and / or “contain” are for identifying the presence of the described features, areas, integers, steps, operations, elements, and / or components, but do not exclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, areas, integers, steps, operations, elements, components, and / or groups thereof.

[0071] For the sake of clarity, spatial terms (such as “directly below,” “downward,” “below,” “up,” and “top”) describe the relationship between one element or feature and another element or feature. These spatial terms are intended to encompass various orientations of the device in use or operation, in addition to the directions shown in the diagrams. For example, if the device in the diagram is upside down, an element described as “below” or “directly below” another element or feature is oriented “above” that other element or feature. Therefore, the term “below” can encompass both up and down directions. The device may be oriented in a different direction (rotated 90 degrees or in another direction), and the spatially relative descriptors used herein may be interpreted accordingly.

[0072] Unless otherwise specified, all terms used herein (including technical and scientific terms) have the same meaning as those generally understood by those skilled in the art to which the present invention pertains. Furthermore, terms (for example, those defined in a general dictionary) should be interpreted as having a meaning consistent with the meanings of the art and the terms relating to this disclosure, unless otherwise specifically defined herein, and should not be interpreted in an ideal or formal sense.

[0073] Embodiments are described herein with reference to cross-sectional views that are schematic representations of idealized embodiments. Thus, variations from the shapes shown are to be expected as a result of manufacturing techniques and / or tolerances. Therefore, embodiments described herein should not be construed as being limited to specific shapes of regions as shown herein, but rather as including, for example, deviations in shape resulting from manufacturing. For example, regions depicted as flat may typically have rough and / or nonlinear features. Also, acute angles shown may be rounded. Therefore, regions shown in the drawings are essentially schematic, and their shapes are not illustrative of the exact shapes of regions and do not limit the scope of the claims.

[0074] The above embodiments are for illustrative purposes only and are not limiting. While the present invention is described with reference to several exemplary embodiments, it should be understood that the language used herein is for illustrative and illustrative purposes only, not limiting. Furthermore, while references to specific means, materials, and embodiments are given, they are not limited to those described herein. Rather, the embodiments extend to all suitable equivalent structures, mechanisms, and applications within the scope of the appended claims.

Claims

1. A metal substrate and It includes a plurality of particles bonded to the surface of the metal substrate by metallurgical bonding, The aforementioned particles include metal, carbon, or a combination thereof. The metallurgical bond is between the particles and the metal substrate. The total projected area of ​​the metallurgical bond is less than 90% of the total projected area of ​​the metal substrate. The metallurgical bond is a component for an electrochemical device characterized by having a composition that is a combination of the composition of the metal substrate and the composition of the particles, a reaction product between the metal substrate and the particles, or a combination thereof. The substrate and particles are coated on their surfaces before metallurgical bonding, and the coating is used to enhance the corrosion resistance and bonding activity of the substrate and particles, and the metallurgical bond can be formed with the coating material. It is understood that using an amount of particles such that they cover a portion of the total projected area of ​​the metal substrate facilitates the formation of a metallurgical bond with desired properties, and that by using the particles to cover less than 90% of the total area of ​​the substrate, thermal stress during the formation of the metallurgical bond and application of the components can be avoided, even if there is a significant mismatch between the thermal expansion coefficients of the particles and the substrate. The metallurgical bonding is a component for electrochemical devices in which particles and a metal substrate, and particles themselves, are formed through cross-diffusion or chemical reactions at high temperatures during heat treatment.

2. The component according to claim 1, characterized in that the metal substrate includes Ti, Nb, Ta, Ni, Cr or alloys thereof, stainless steel or a combination thereof.

3. The constituent element according to any one of claims 1 and 2, characterized in that the particles include a metal, and the metal is Ti, Nb, Ta, Ni, Cr, or an alloy thereof, or a combination thereof.

4. The component according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that the average particle size of the plurality of particles is less than 20 μm.

5. The constituent element according to any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that the plurality of particles are metal particles having an average particle size of 50 nm to 10 μm.

6. The constituent element according to any one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that the plurality of particles are Ti particles having an average particle size of 100 nm to 5 μm.

7. The constituent element according to any one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that the particles contain carbon, the carbon is amorphous carbon, graphite, carbon fiber, or a combination thereof, and the average particle size is less than 200 μm.

8. The component according to any one of claims 1 to 7, characterized in that the total projected area of ​​the metallurgical bond is 1% to 70% of the total projected area of ​​the metal substrate.

9. The component according to any one of claims 1 to 8, further comprising a plurality of ceramic particles on the metal substrate, wherein the ceramic particles include carbides, oxides, nitrides, silicides, or combinations thereof.

10. The component according to any one of claims 1 to 9, characterized in that the component is a bipolar plate for a fuel cell or electrolytic cell.

11. The component according to claim 10, characterized in that the bipolar plate has a surface electrical contact resistance of less than 10 mΩ-cm² after being treated for 100 hours with a pH 3 H2SO4 solution at a compression pressure of 200 PSI, at 80°C, with 0.1 ppm HF and 0.8 VNHE.

12. The component according to any one of claims 1 to 11, characterized in that the component is an electrode for an electrolytic cell or a flow battery.

13. The present invention further includes a second substrate located on the side of the plurality of particles facing the metal substrate, The second substrate comprises carbon or Ti, Nb, Ta, Ni, Cr, their alloys, stainless steel, or a combination thereof. The particles are bonded to the second substrate by a second metallurgical bond between the particles and the second substrate, and the total projected area of ​​the metallurgical bond is less than 90% of the total projected area of ​​the second substrate. The metallurgical bond is characterized by having a composition that is a combination of the composition of the second substrate and the composition of the particles, a reaction product between the second substrate and the particles, or a combination thereof, as described in any one of claims 1 to 12.

14. The component according to claim 13, wherein the metal substrate and the second substrate contain the same components.

15. The component according to any one of claims 1 to 14, characterized in that the second substrate includes a plurality of layers having a structural or compositional gradient.

16. The second substrate has an aperture area of ​​10% to 90% (in terms of the total projected area of ​​the second substrate). The component according to any one of claims 13 to 15, characterized in that it is a metal screen.

17. The component according to any one of claims 13 to 16, characterized in that the second substrate is a porous mass transport layer having a porosity of 30% to 95%.

18. An electrochemical device characterized by comprising a component according to any one of claims 13 to 17, which is a fuel cell, a battery, an electrolytic cell, or a capacitor.

19. We provide metal substrates, A composition comprising a plurality of precursor particles is arranged on the metal substrate, wherein the precursor particles include metal, carbon, metal hydride, or a combination thereof, in order to provide a coated substrate, and the substrate and the particles are coated on their surfaces before metallurgical bonding between the substrate and the particles, the coating being used to enhance the corrosion resistance and bonding activity of the substrate and the particles, and the metallurgical bond can be formed with the coating material. The precursor particles are in contact with less than 90% of the total projected area of ​​the metal substrate. The average particle size of the precursor particles is less than 200 μm. The process includes heat-treating the coated substrate to form particles from precursor particles, and bonding the particles to the metal substrate by metallurgical bonds formed between the particles and the metal substrate to manufacture the component, The metallurgical bond is characterized by having a composition that is a combination of the composition of the metal substrate and the composition of the particles, a reaction product between the metal substrate and the particles, or a combination thereof, and is a method for manufacturing a component for an electrochemical device. A method for producing components for electrochemical devices, characterized in that the precursor particles include Ti, Nb, Ta, Al, Cr, alloys thereof, intermetallic compounds thereof, hydrides thereof, or combinations thereof, and have an average particle size of 50 nm to 20 μm.

20. The method according to 19, characterized in that the metal substrate includes Ti, Nb, Ta, Ni, Cr or an alloy thereof, stainless steel or a combination thereof.

21. The method according to 19 or 20, characterized in that the precursor particles include carbon particles with an average particle size of less than 200 μm.

22. The method according to any one of claims 19 to 21, characterized in that the precursor particles cover 3% to 90% of the total projected area of ​​the metal substrate.

23. The method according to any one of claims 19 to 22, wherein the heat treatment comprises performing the heat treatment in a vacuum or a non-oxidizing atmosphere, and the heat treatment comprises electron beam surface heating or laser surface heating.

24. The method according to any one of claims 19 to 23, wherein the composition comprising the plurality of precursor particles further comprises a plurality of ceramic particles, the ceramic particles comprising carbides, oxides, nitrides, or combinations thereof.

25. The second substrate is further arranged on the side of the plurality of particles facing the metal substrate, The second substrate comprises carbon or Ti, Nb, Ta, Ni, Cr, their alloys, stainless steel, or a combination thereof. The particles are bonded to the second substrate by a second metallurgical bond between the particles and the second substrate, and the total projected area of ​​the metallurgical bond is less than 90% of the total projected area of ​​the second substrate. The method according to any one of claims 19 to 24, characterized in that the metallurgical bond has a composition which is a combination of the composition of the second substrate and the composition of the particles, a reaction product between the second substrate and the particles, or a combination thereof.

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