**Hydrophobic Coatings for Corrosion Control of Aluminum Heat Exchangers**

Alba Covelo, Carmina Menchaca, Miriam Flores, Pilar Rodríguez‐Rojas, Miguel Hernandez‐Gallegos, Esteban Martinez Meza, Rebecca Jaimes‐Ramírez and Jorge Uruchurtu

Additional information is available at the end of the chapter

http://dx.doi.org/10.5772/67676

#### **Abstract**

[41] Arbabi F, Kalantarian A, Abouatallah R, Wang R, Wallace JS. Bazylak A. Feasibility study of using microfluidic platforms for visualizing bubble flows in electrolyzer gas diffusion layers. Journal of Power Sources. 2014;**258**:142-149. DOI: 10.1016/j.jpowsour.2014.02.042

[42] Siracusano S, Di Blasi A, Baglio V, Brunaccini G, Briguglio N, Stassi A, et al. Optimization of components and assembling in a PEM electrolyzer stack, International journal of

[43] Grigoriev SA, Dzhus KA, Bessarabov DG, Millet P. Failure of PEM water electrolysis cells: Case study involving anode dissolution and membrane thinning, International journal of Hydrogen Energy. 2014;**39**:20440-20446. DOI: 10.1016/j.ijhydene.2014.05.043

[44] Lettenmeier P, Kolb S, Burggraf F, Gago AS, Friedrich KA. Towards developing a backing layer for proton exchange membrane electrolyzers, Journal of Power Sources.

[45] Grigoriev SA, Dzhus KA, Bessarabov DG, Millet P. Failure of PEM water electrolysis cells: Case study involving anode dissolution and membrane thinning, International Journal of Hydrogen Energy. 2014;**39**:20440-20446. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.ijhydene.2014.05.043

[46] Hwang CM, Ishida M, Ito H, Maeda T, Nakano A, Kato A, et al. Effect of titanium powder loading in gas diffusion layer of a polymer electrolyte unitized reversible fuel cell,

Journal of Power Sources. 2012;**202**:108-113. DOI: 10.1016/j.jpowsour.2011.11.041 [47] Gago AS, Ansar SA, Saruhan B, Schulz U, Lettenmeier P, Cañas NA, et al. Protective coatings on stainless steel bipolar plates for proton exchange membrane (PEM) electrolysers.

Journal of Power Sources. 2016;**307**:815-825. DOI: 10.1016/j.jpowsour.2015.12.071

Power Sources. 2016;**326**:120-128. DOI: 10.1016/j.jpowsour.2016.06.082

jpowsour.2006.09.020

86 New Technologies in Protective Coatings

[48] Rakousky C, Reimer U, Wippermann K, Carmo M, Lueke W, Stolten D. An analysis of degradation phenomena in polymer electrolyte membrane water electrolysis. Journal of

[49] Park S, Lee JW, Popov BN. Effect of carbon loading in microporous layer on PEM fuel cell performance. Journal of Power Sources. 2006;**163**:357-363. DOI: 10.1016/j.

[50] Weber AZ, Newman J. Effects of Microporous Layers in Polymer Electrolyte Fuel Cells. Journal of the Electrochemical Society. 2005;**152**:A677. DOI: 10.1149/1.1861194

Hydrogen Energy. 2011;**36**:3333-3339. DOI: 10.1016/j.ijhydene.2010.12.044

2016;**311**:153-158. DOI: 10.1016/j.jpowsour.2016.01.100

The production of thin films (nanocoatings) is a technological field with many applications to elaborate materials with new properties to be used as corrosion protection of traditional metals. Hydrophobicity is an example of such properties. In this chapter, an example of two hydrophobic corrosion coatings for possible use over aluminum heat exchanger geothermal power plants is discussed. Material substrate preparation, synthesis of hydrophobic sol‐gel nanocoating, characterization, and electrochemical evaluation as a function of time of immersion, which are compared to another commercial fluorinated compound, are presented. Good corrosion protection was found for both hydrophobic coatings for possible application in geothermal heat exchangers.

**Keywords:** hydrophobic, coatings, corrosion, aluminum, geothermal heat exchangers
