APPARATUS AND METHODS FOR DEOXIDIZING METAL SURFACES

摘要

Methods for deoxidizing metallic surfaces are disclosed. Such a method may include contacting a surface of a metal strip (102) with one or more chemical solutions until a potential drop across a thickness of the metal strip (102) is less than a pre-selected value. To process a metal strip (102) such that it may be suitable for fabrication of a bipolar plate for use in a fuel cell, the metal strip (102) may be processed until the potential drop is less than about 15 mV. A surface of the metal strip (102) may be contacted for a first period of time with a first chemical solution having a pH of between 10 and 14. Thereafter, the surface may be contacted for a second period of time with a second chemical solution having a pH of between 1 and 3. A conductive organic coating may then be applied to the surface. Such methods are particularly suitable for use in connection with a coil coating process.