SBIR Phase I: Conducting Polymer Based Bipolar Plates for Proton Exchange Membrane Fuel Cells

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*** ABSTRACT 9661134 Murphy This Small Business Innovation Research Phase I project will demonstrate the feasibility of using conducting polymers to fabricate bipolar plates for proton exchange membrane (PEM) fuel cells. To make PEM fuel cell power sources for electric vehicles cost-competitive with competing technologies, materials cheaper than presently used carbon/resin composites for bipolar plates must be identified and more cost-effective methods of manufacturing these plates compared to high temperature graphitization of carbon/resin composites must be developed. The goal of this project is to take advantage of recently developed electronically conducting polymer technology for the development of superior and cost effective bipolar plates for PEM fuel cell stacks compared to the conventionally used graphitized carbon-based materials. The aim is to electrochemically synthesize net shape, high strength conducting polymer structures that exhibit high electronic conductivity at elevated temperatures in the presence of oxygen and that are not subject to oxidation/corrosion processes in oxygen-saturated acidic environments at elevated temperatures. The attractiveness of the approach is that it will allow the room temperature preparation of high strength, highly conducting polymer materials suitable for use not only as bipolar plates in PEM fuel cell stacks but also in other acid fuel cell systems, such as the phosphoric acid fuel cell (PAFC) system. Thus, developed technology arising from this project should be an enabling technology leading to the manufacture of low cost fuel cell stacks. Low temperature methanol/air and hydrogen/air PEM fuel cells have considerable commercial potential as power sources for electric vehicles. Other commercial applications include: electricity and heat production for residential and small commercial buildings; portable power sources for communications and news gathering equipment; portable medical instrumentation used by rescue teams; and external electrical power sources for artificial heart and ventricular-assist devices. ***