Fiber-reinforced bipolar plates for fuel cells

Development of fiber-reinforced compound film bipolar plates for compact lightweight fuel cells

Hydrogen fuel cells are considered to be one approach for substituting fossil fuels in, inter alia, the automotive industry. Fuel cells consist of multiple bipolar plates which, due to their complex requirements, are made of either expensively coated metals or polymers filled with graphite à graphite polymer compounds. Advantages of the compound bipolar plates are the missing coating and therefore, the lifetime. However, the injection molding process and the low mechanical properties of the compound foils yield in a high wall thickness which increases the volume and decreases the power density of the fuel cell.

In this project the wall thickness is intended to be decreased by incorporating a foil extension process instead of injection molding and by reinforcing the foils with carbon fibers. Therefore, a reinforcing concept with few efficiently placed fibers, suited for the manufacturing process, and a comprehensive characterization of the fiber influence on mechanical, electrical and chemical properties of the compound foil are needed. Furthermore, a manufacturing process needs to be developed to impregnate the fibers with the highly viscous compound and to form the reinforced foils to biopolar plates.

This project aims at the incorporation of carbon fibers into compound foils to increase the power density of hydrogen fuel cells.

Field of competence

Industry sectors

Project status

  • Current

Contacts

M.Sc.

Alexander Nuhn

Scientific Staff Press & Joining Technologies

Telephone: +49 631 2017 117

alexander.nuhn@leibniz-ivw.de

M.Eng.

Stefan Schmidt

Scientific Staff Mechanical Characterization & Modeling

Telephone: +49 631 2017 274

stefan.schmidt@leibniz-ivw.de

Funding

The project “Design of fiber reinforced compound foil bipolar plates for compact fuel cells” is funded by the Federal Ministry of Economics and Climate Action on the basis of a decision by the German Bundestag (funding reference 22342 N).The project “Design of fiber reinforced compound foil bipolar plates for compact fuel cells” is funded by the Federal Ministry of Economics and Climate Action on the basis of a decision by the German Bundestag (funding reference 22342 N).