scholarly journals A Review of Metallic Bipolar Plates for Proton Exchange Membrane Fuel Cells: Materials and Fabrication Methods

2012 ◽  
Vol 2012 ◽  
pp. 1-22 ◽  
Author(s):  
Shahram Karimi ◽  
Norman Fraser ◽  
Bronwyn Roberts ◽  
Frank R. Foulkes
Keyword(s):  
Proton Exchange Membrane ◽  
Cost Effective ◽  
Bipolar Plate ◽  
Proton Exchange ◽  
Reaction Products ◽  
Bipolar Plates ◽  
Metallic Bipolar Plates ◽  
Density Graphite ◽  
Feasible Alternative ◽  
Exchange Membrane

The proton exchange membrane fuel cell offers an exceptional potential for a clean, efficient, and reliable power source. The bipolar plate is a key component in this device, as it connects each cell electrically, supplies reactant gases to both anode and cathode, and removes reaction products from the cell. Bipolar plates have been fabricated primarily from high-density graphite, but in recent years, much attention has been paid to developing cost-effective and feasible alternative materials. Two different classes of materials have attracted attention: metals and composites. This paper offers a comprehensive review of the current research being carried out on metallic bipolar plates, covering materials and fabrication methods.

The Cylindrical Structure of Metallic Bipolar Plates for Proton Exchange Membrane Fuel Cell

2011 ◽  
Vol 228-229 ◽  
pp. 1029-1034
Author(s):  
Jian Lan ◽  
Chen Ni ◽  
Lin Hua
Keyword(s):  
Fuel Cell ◽  
Proton Exchange Membrane ◽  
Bipolar Plate ◽  
Proton Exchange ◽  
Battery Life ◽  
Membrane Electrode ◽  
Bipolar Plates ◽  
Forming Process ◽  
Cylindrical Structure ◽  
Exchange Membrane

As a key component of proton exchange membrane fuel cell (PEMFC), the bipolar plate’s performance will directly affect the power output and battery life of the fuel cell. The conventional metallic bipolar plate is prone to warp, and has large flatness error with residual stress induced by forming process. This will result in contacting incompletely with membrane electrode assemblies (MEA) and lower fuel cell efficiency. A cylindrical structure of the PEMFC metallic polar plate is proposed to improve its stiffness and to reduce assembling error of the fuel cell. The polar plate features, which were originally designed on a flat surface, are projected onto the cylindrical surface with a certain curvature. Two cylindrical polar plates are welded together to become a bipolar plate. The finite element method is applied to compare the stiffness of the conventional and cylindrical polar & bipolar plates. The cylindrical bipolar plate has better stiffness and anti-warping than the conventional bipolar plate. The feasibility of the cylindrical structure is verified by experiment and provides a new idea for the improvement of the bipolar plate and fuel cell stack.

Coupled stress–strain and transport in proton exchange membrane fuel cell with metallic bipolar plates

2019 ◽  
Vol 251 ◽  
pp. 113316 ◽  
Author(s):  
Heng Zhang ◽  
Liusheng Xiao ◽  
Po-Ya Abel Chuang ◽  
Ned Djilali ◽  
Pang-Chieh Sui
Keyword(s):  
Fuel Cell ◽  
Proton Exchange Membrane ◽  
Proton Exchange ◽  
Bipolar Plates ◽  
Stress Strain ◽  
Metallic Bipolar Plates ◽  
Exchange Membrane ◽  
Coupled Stress

scholarly journals Corrosion Behavior and Conductivity of TiNb and TiNbN Coated Steel for Metallic Bipolar Plates

2019 ◽  
Vol 9 (12) ◽  
pp. 2568 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kun Shi ◽  
Xue Li ◽  
Yang Zhao ◽  
Wei-Wei Li ◽  
Shu-Bo Wang ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Corrosion Resistance ◽  
Proton Exchange Membrane ◽  
Electronic Conductivity ◽  
Bipolar Plate ◽  
Proton Exchange ◽  
Carbon Paper ◽  
Bipolar Plates ◽  
Metallic Bipolar Plates ◽  
Metallic Bipolar Plate ◽  
Interfacial Contact Resistance

To improve corrosion resistance and electronic conductivity of bipolar plates for proton exchange membrane fuel cell (PEMFC), coatings of TiNb and TiNbN on 316L stainless steel (SS) were prepared by magnetron sputtering. X-ray diffraction (XRD) measurements confirmed the existence of metallic nitrides in the TiNbN coating. Scanning electron microscope (SEM) tests showed that the deposited coatings provided smooth surfaces. Further electrochemical measurements indicated that the corrosion resistance of TiNb coating was significantly higher than that of substrate. At 0.19 V vs MSE, the long-term stabilized current density of TiNb/316L SS was lower than 1 μA·cm−2. The interfacial contact resistance (ICR) values between coating and carbon paper suggested that TiNb and TiNbN films had better contact conductivity than 316L SS substrate. In conclusion, TiNb coated 316L SS metallic bipolar plate material is a promising option for PEMFC.

Die Design of Aluminum Bipolar Plate Fabrication by Stamping Process and its Investigation

2012 ◽  
Vol 445 ◽  
pp. 108-113 ◽  
Author(s):  
H.J. Kwon ◽  
Y.P. Jeon ◽  
Chung Gil Kang
Keyword(s):  
Aluminum Alloy ◽  
Fuel Cell ◽  
Proton Exchange Membrane ◽  
Bipolar Plate ◽  
Proton Exchange ◽  
Die Design ◽  
Bipolar Plates ◽  
Micro Channels ◽  
The Cost ◽  
Exchange Membrane

A Proton Exchange Membrane Fuel Cell (PEMFC) is a type of fuel cell being developed for automotive applications as well as for stationary fuel cell applications and portable fuel cell applications. Its performance such as power density can be improved by the use of the bipolar plate with a new lightweight material which is one of core components making up PEMFC stack. Aluminum alloy has good mechanical properties not only in terms of density, electrical resistivity and thermal conductivity, but also in terms of corrosion resistant compared with stainless steel and graphite composites bipolar plate. Furthermore, the use of aluminum for a bipolar plate reduces simultaneously the cost and weight of it, and it contributes to the ease of machining. For these reason, an aluminum alloy is selected in this study. This study presents the feasibility of the simulation for the development of aluminum bipolar plates that consists of multi array micro channels. The analytical solutions obtained by the simulation are validated by the comparison with the experimental results. From the results, it is ensured that the stamping processes for the bipolar plate could be predicted and designed by the results of the by FE-Simulation.

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