skip to main content
OSTI.GOV title logo U.S. Department of Energy
Office of Scientific and Technical Information

Title: Highly conductive thermoplastic composites for rapid production of fuel cell bipolar plates

Patent ·
OSTI ID:985155
 [1];  [1];  [1]
  1. Blacksburg, VA
+ Show Author Affiliations

A low cost method of fabricating bipolar plates for use in fuel cells utilizes a wet lay process for combining graphite particles, thermoplastic fibers, and reinforcing fibers to produce a plurality of formable sheets. The formable sheets are then molded into a bipolar plates with features impressed therein via the molding process. The bipolar plates formed by the process have conductivity in excess of 150 S/cm and have sufficient mechanical strength to be used in fuel cells. The bipolar plates can be formed as a skin/core laminate where a second polymer material is used on the skin surface which provides for enhanced conductivity, chemical resistance, and resistance to gas permeation.

Research Organization:
Virginia Tech Intellectual Properties, Inc. (Blacksburg, VA)
Sponsoring Organization:
USDOE
DOE Contract Number:
AC05-00OR22725
Assignee:
Virginia Tech Intellectual Properties, Inc. (Blacksburg, VA)
Patent Number(s):
7365121
Application Number:
10/779,804
OSTI ID:
985155
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English

References (3)

Development of New Bi-Polar Plates Based on Electrically Conductive Filled Polymers for PEMFC book June 2000
Carbon nanotubular fiber composite for fuel cell bipolar plates journal March 2002
Carbon/Carbon Composite Bipolar Plate for Proton Exchange Membrane Fuel Cells journal January 2000

Similar Records

Related Subjects

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE