SBIR Phase I: Low-Cost Bipolar Plate for a Proton-Exchange Membrane Fuel Cell

这个小型企业创新研究（SBIR）第一阶段项目的更广泛的影响/商业潜力解决了质子交换膜（PEM）燃料电池的高成本问题。随着世界从内燃机汽车向电动汽车过渡，燃料电池市场预计将大幅增长。燃料电池电动汽车（FCEV）具有许多优点，例如高耐久性，长距离和快速加油。此外，燃料电池不太容易受到锂离子电池开始遭受的供应链问题的影响。然而，FCEV目前在成本方面相对于BEV处于明显的劣势。降低燃料电池堆的成本将有助于使FCEV与BEV相比具有成本竞争力，并将加速其进入市场。SBIR第一阶段项目提出通过降低双极板组件的成本来降低PEM燃料电池的成本。双极板目前占整个燃料电池堆成本的约30%。目前的双极板由金属箔或模制碳复合材料制成。金属板可以通过高速、低成本的成形技术生产，但必须由昂贵的耐腐蚀材料制成。碳双极板由廉价的前体制成，但通过规模差的工艺制造。该项目旨在证明，双极板可以从一种新型的，低成本的，碳基片材利用类似于用于生产金属双极板的成型技术生产。该奖项的重点是优化碳板以降低氢渗透性，证明可以在碳板上冲压出流道，并通过在小规模燃料电池中进行测试来量化功能和耐用性。该奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的知识价值和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

The broader impact/commercial potential of this Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase I project addresses the high cost of proton-exchange membrane (PEM) fuel cells. As the world transitions from internal combustion engine vehicles to electric vehicles, the market for fuel cells is expected to increase substantially. Fuel cell electric vehicles (FCEVs) have a number of advantages, such as high durability, long range, and fast refueling over battery electric vehicles (BEVs). Additionally, fuel cells are less susceptible to the supply chain issues that lithium-ion batteries are beginning to suffer from. However, FCEVs are currently at a significant disadvantage to BEVs in terms of cost. Reducing the cost of the fuel cell stack will help to make FCEVs cost competitive with BEVs and will accelerate their adoption into the marketplace.This SBIR Phase I project proposes to reduce the cost of PEM fuel cells by reducing the cost of the bipolar plate component. Bipolar plates currently account for approximately 30% of the full fuel cell stack cost. Current bipolar plates are made from either metal foils or molded carbon composites. Metal plates can be produced by high-speed, low-cost forming techniques, but must be made from expensive, corrosion resistant materials. Carbon bipolar plates are made from inexpensive precursors but are manufactured by processes which scale poorly. This project aims to demonstrate that a bipolar plate can be produced from a novel, low-cost, carbon-based sheet utilizing forming techniques analogous to those used for producing metallic bipolar plates. The effort focuses on optimizing the carbon sheet for low hydrogen permeability, demonstrating that flow channels can be stamped into the sheets, and quantifying functionality and durability by testing in small scale fuel cells.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.