Application of Coated Metallic Bipolar Plate for Proton Exchange Membrane (PEM) Fuel Cell

Abstract

<div class="section abstract"><div class="htmlview paragraph">In the current era of green energy adoption for reaching the zero-carbon target, the mobility sector is extensively working together to use hydrogen as a major source of energy, especially in vehicles with long range requirements. For this, Proton Exchange Membrane Fuel Cells (PEMFC) are employed to convert the chemical energy of hydrogen back into electricity. Acceptability of PEMFC in the automotive field mostly depends on system efficiency, durability & cost of the FC stack. In PEMFC, the bipolar plate (BPP) is a critical component of the system, which realizes the transport of gases to the electrodes, evacuates reactant product water and ensures electrical current collection. In some applications, graphite is used as material for bipolar plates due to good chemical stability and corrosion resistance, whereas it is also a rather brittle material with some manufacturing challenges. In mobile applications, metallic bipolar plates are widely used, as they allow for a significantly higher power density of the stack and have good mechanical strength & electric conductivity. Metallic bipolar plates usually feature a protective coating to improve the durability of the system. In this paper, the role of bipolar plates is discussed, and different coating materials are evaluated for performance & cost. An in-house testing strategy is defined to validate coated metallic bipolar plates, which are tested under various operating conditions. Subsequently, test results are discussed to check the improvement of using noble metal free material over available PGM (Platinum Group Metal) coating materials.</div></div>