Abstract: A stainless steel having a low surface contact resistance for fuel cell separators is provided. The stainless steel has a Cr content of 16 to 40 mass % or more. The stainless steel includes a region having a fine textured structure on its surface, and the area percentage of the region is 50% or more, preferably 80% or more. The region having a fine textured structure is a region which has a structure having depressed portions and raised portions at an average interval between depressed portions or raised portions of 20 nm or more and 150 nm or less when observed with a scanning electron microscope.

Abstract: A stainless steel for a fuel cell having good corrosion resistance throughout a wide potential range and a method for producing the same are provided. In particular, a coating having an intensity ratio [(OO/OH)/(Cr/Fe)] of 1.0 or more determined by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy analysis is formed by performing an anodic electrolyzation treatment on a surface of a stainless steel in an electrolyte solution, the stainless steel containing 16% by mass or more of Cr and preferably having a composition that includes, in terms of percent by mass, C: 0.03% or less, Si: 1.0% or less, Mn: 1.0% or less, S: 0.01% or less, P: 0.05% or less, Al: 0.20% or less, N: 0.03% or less, Cr: 20 to 40%, at least one selected from Nb, Ti, and Zr, in total: 1.0% or less, and the balance being Fe and unavoidable impurities.

Abstract: A stainless steel having a low surface contact resistance for fuel cell separators is provided. The stainless steel has a Cr content of 16 to 40 mass % or more. The stainless steel includes a region having a fine textured structure on its surface, and the area percentage of the region is 50% or more, preferably 80% or more. The region having a fine textured structure is a region which has a structure having depressed portions and raised portions at an average interval between depressed portions or raised portions of 20 nm or more and 150 nm or less when observed with a scanning electron microscope.

Abstract: Stainless steel for fuel cell separators are provided which exhibit stable contact resistance characteristics and excellent practical utility. The stainless steel contains not less than 16 mass % of Cr. When the surface configuration of the stainless steel is analyzed with a scanning electron microscope at a spatial resolution of not more than 0.1 ?m, the surface modulus is not less than 1.02. Preferably, the chemical composition further includes C: not more than 0.03%, Si: not more than 1.0%, Mn: not more than 1.0%, S: not more than 0.01%, P: not more than 0.05%, Al: not more than 0.20%, N: not more than 0.03%, Cr: 16 to 40%, and one or more of Ni: not more than 20%, Cu: not more than 0.6% and Mo: not more than 2.5%, the balance being Fe and inevitable impurities.

Abstract: Stainless steel for fuel cell separators contains C: ?0.03%, Si: ?1.0%, Mn: ?1.0%, S: ?0.01%, P: ?0.05%, Al: ?0.20%, N: ?0.03%, Cr: 16 to 40%, and one or more of Ni: ?20%, Cu: ?0.6% and Mo: ?2.5%, the balance being Fe and inevitable impurities. According to X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, the surface of the stainless steel contains fluorine and provides a 3.0 or higher ratio of the total of atomic concentrations of Cr and Fe in other than the metallic forms calculated from data resulting from the separation of peaks of Cr and Fe into metallic peaks and peaks other than the metallic peaks to the total of atomic concentrations of Cr and Fe in the metallic forms calculated from data resulting from the separation of peaks of Cr and Fe into metallic peaks and peaks other than the metallic peaks.

Abstract: A stainless steel for use in a fuel cell separator is produced by subjecting stainless steel containing 16 mass % or more of Cr to electrolytic treatment and thereafter to immersion treatment in a solution containing fluorine. The electrolytic treatment is carried out by anodic electrolyzation or by a combination of anodic electrolyzation and cathodic electrolyzation, and an anodic electrolytic quantity Qa and a cathodic electrolytic quantity Qc preferably satisfy Qa?Qc. The solution containing fluorine preferably has a temperature of 40° C. or higher, and hydrofluoric acid concentration [HF] (mass %) and nitric acid concentration [HNO3] (mass %) satisfying [HF]?0.8×[HNO3].

Abstract: A stainless steel having good conductivity and ductility for use in a fuel cell separator is provided. In particular, the stainless steel has a composition of, in terms of % by mass, C: 0.01% or less, Si: 1.0% or less, Mn: 1.0% or less, S: 0.01% or less, P: 0.05% or less, Al: 0.20% or less, N: 0.02% or less, Cr: 20 to 40%, Mo: 4.0% or less, and at least one selected from Nb, Ti, and Zr: 0.05 to 0.60% in total, the balance being Fe and unavoidable impurities. At least one precipitate having an equivalent circle diameter of 0.1 ?m or more is present per 100 ?m2, a ratio of a thickness t (?m) to a maximum diameter Dmax (?m) of the precipitates satisfies formula (1) below 20?t/Dmax??(1) and the thickness is 200 ?m or less.

Abstract: The invention provides stainless steel for conductive members which exhibits excellent electrical conductivity (namely, low contact electric resistance), and a method for producing such stainless steel. In an exemplary embodiment of the method, stainless steel is dipped into a solution containing fluoride ions at a rate of dissolution of not less than 0.002 g/(m2·s) to less than 0.50 g/(m2·s), thereby incorporating fluorine into a passive film on the steel surface.

Abstract: A stainless steel for a fuel cell having good corrosion resistance throughout a wide potential range and a method for producing the same are provided. In particular, a coating having an intensity ratio [(OO/OH)/(Cr/Fe)] of 1.0 or more determined by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy analysis is formed by performing an anodic electrolyzation treatment on a surface of a stainless steel in an electrolyte solution, the stainless steel containing 16% by mass or more of Cr and preferably having a composition that includes, in terms of percent by mass, C: 0.03% or less, Si: 1.0% or less, Mn: 1.0% or less, S: 0.01% or less, P: 0.05% or less, Al: 0.20% or less, N: 0.03% or less, Cr: 20 to 40%, at least one selected from Nb, Ti, and Zr, in total: 1.0% or less, and the balance being Fe and unavoidable impurities.

Abstract: A stainless steel having good conductivity and ductility for use in a fuel cell separator is provided. In particular, the stainless steel has a composition of, in terms of % by mass, C: 0.01% or less, Si: 1.0% or less, Mn: 1.0% or less, S: 0.01% or less, P: 0.05% or less, Al: 0.20% or less, N: 0.02% or less, Cr: 20 to 40%, Mo: 4.0% or less, and at least one selected from Nb, Ti, and Zr: 0.05 to 0.60% in total, the balance being Fe and unavoidable impurities. At least one precipitate having an equivalent circle diameter of 0.1 ?m or more is present per 100 ?m2, a ratio of a thickness t (?m) to a maximum diameter Dmax (?m) of the precipitates satisfies formula (1) below 20?t/Dmax??(1) and the thickness is 200 ?m or less.

Abstract: The present invention provides an inexpensive metallic material for interconnects of solid-oxide fuel cells, a fuel cell using the metallic material, and a method for producing the metallic material having excellent oxidation resistance and spalling resistance of an oxide layer, high electrical conductivity, and a small difference in thermal expansion from an electrolyte. Specifically, 0.20 percent by mass or less of C, 0.02 to 1.0 percent by mass of Si, 2.0 percent by mass or less of Mn, 10 to 40 percent by mass of Cr, 0.03 to 5.0 percent by mass of Mo, 0.1 to 3.0 percent by mass of Nb, and at least one element selected from the group consisting of Sc, Y, La, Ce, Pr, Nd, Pm, Sm, Zr, and Hf in a total of 1.0 percent by mass or less are added so as to satisfy 0.1?Mo/Nb?30, for decreasing the growth rate of the oxide layer and improving the spalling resistance.