SBIR Phase I: Low Cost Bipolar Plates for Fuel Cell Applications

这个小型企业创新研究(SBIR)第一阶段项目将展示一种新方法的适用性，以生产用于燃料电池应用的低成本、高导电性和超轻双极板。一种生产导电聚合物的创新方法将提供与目前使用的石墨双极板相当的导电性。将研究这种导电聚合物的制造技术，以生产净形状的双极板，从而消除过于昂贵的石墨板的加工。导电聚合物双极板将在单电池配置中进行全面的表征和评估，以获得电化学稳定性、电阻率和气体扩散。总体概念将从技术性能和成本两方面进行评估，以便在第二阶段进行进一步开发。导电聚合物可能为燃料电池技术提供显著的性能和成本优势，例如电动汽车下一代汽车可能需要的技术。净形导电聚合物双极板可用于这种和许多其他商业燃料电池应用。

This Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase I project will demonstrate the applicability of a novel approach to produce low cost, high conductivity, and ultralight bipolar plates for fuel cell applications. An innovative approach to produce conductive polymers will provide conductivities comparable to currently used graphite bipolar plates. The fabrication technology of such a conductive polymer will be investigated to produce net shape bipolar plates, thus eliminating the exceedingly expensive machining of graphite plates. The conductive polymer bipolar plates will be fully characterized and evaluated in single cell configurations for electrochemical stability, resistivity, and gas diffusion. The overall concept will be assessed for both technical performance and cost for possible further development in Phase II. Conductive polymers could offer a significant performance and cost advantage to fuel cell technologies, such as may be required in the electric-car Next Generation Vehicle. Net shape conductive polymer bipolar plates could be produced for this and many other commercial fuel cell applications.