TECHNOLOGY FOCUS - INORGANIC CHEMISTRY - Preferred Process: The process comprises pretreating the substrate, before depositing the first coating, to remove contaminants from the substrate and to attach polar groups to the substrate, by exposing the substrate to plasma comprising oxygen or a microwave generated plasma comprising oxygen, where exposure is up to 5, preferably 0.5-3 minutes. The plasma is generated by microwave energy of 50 W-10 kW, preferably 200-300 W.The process comprises a carrier gas including air, nitrogen, argon, alkylamines, alkylsilanes, ammonia, carbon dioxide, chloride, chlorine dioxide, chlorohydrocarbons, nitrous oxide, ozone, water vapor, and/or preferably oxygen. The plasma is maintained at a steady state. The microwave power is pulsed using microsecond to nanosecond pulses. The process comprises post-treating the first coating to add polar groups to the compound, by exposing the first coating to a plasma comprising oxygen, where exposing is conducted up to 5, preferably 0.5-3 minutes; selectively depositing a mask over portions of the substrate leaving portions of the substrate unmasked and exposed before depositing a first coating over a fuel cell component, where mask is a hard mask, washable mask, or a photoresist mask.Preferred Component: The polar groups comprise hydroxyl groups, halide, carboxyl, ketonic or an aldehyde function group. The fuel cell component comprises a second coating comprising an electrically conductive material, where second coating overlies the substrate and the first coating overlies the second coating.Preferred Parameter: The plasma assisted chemical deposition is conducted at 0-500, preferably 30-100 Pa. The volume of the reactor is 110 L. The precursor to carrier gas volume flow ratio is 4-16, preferably 8-10%. The precursor gas flow rate is 2-50, preferably 15-20 ml/minute; and the carrier gas flow rate is 20-625, preferably 150-250 ml/minute.    TECHNOLOGY FOCUS - METALLURGY - Preferred Component: The coating comprises an electrically conductive material including gold, silver, ruthenium, rhodium, palladium, rhenium, osmium, iridium, platinum, rare earth metals, or their alloys, or polymeric carbon, or graphite. The fuel cell component is a bipolar plate (60) having lands (64) and channels (62), where the mask is selectively deposited only over the lands, or only over portions of the bipolar plate before depositing the first coating over the fuel cell component, and the mask and any portion of the first coating overlying the mask, is removed after, or where first coating is deposited over the lands and channels, and selective portions of the first coating is removed after, and the mask is selectively deposited over portions of the first coating leaving portions of the first coating exposed, and the exposed portions (70) of the first coating is removed by etching.    TECHNOLOGY FOCUS - ORGANIC CHEMISTRY - Preferred Component: The carbon chain has between 1-4C. The precursor gases comprise a material of formula R2-(R1)Si(R3)-O-(R4)Si(R6)-R5.R1-R6 = H, O, Cl, or optionally saturated C chain.The precursor gas comprises hexamethyl disiloxane. It comprises carbon and silicon.    TECHNOLOGY FOCUS - POLYMERS - Preferred Component: The substrate comprises a metal and a polymeric composite material.