This work focuses on the development of innovative polymer-based composites suitable for fuel cell bipolar plates. The developed composites need to fulfil the given requirements concerning electrical and thermal conductivity, mechanical properties, and additionally ensure easy implementation in industry. Various potentially suitable electrically conductive fillers, such as graphite, carbon black, carbon fibers, carbon nanotubes, and expanded graphite are added to a polypropylene (PP) matrix. The samples are tested with regard to their throughplane electrical conductivity, in-plane thermal conductivity, flexural properties, and corrosion resistance. The effect of plate thickness and filler composition is systematically investigated. It is also found that the electrode area and the applied pressure during the electrical resistance measurements have a significant effect on the electrical conductivity. The materials show very good processability with compression molding, which results in the maximum electrical conductivity of 46 S cm −1 , using a multi-filler approach with carbon-based fillers of different forms and sizes. These results meet or even exceed those found in the literature, and it is strongly believed that optimization of the manufacturing process can result in an electrical conductivity value above the target of 50 S cm −1 .

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In recent decades library finances have been struggling to keep up with the growth of journals. Budget cuts, and subscription price increases due to resultant cancellations, have put additional strain on libraries, creating an accelerating spiral, the so‐called ‘serials crisis'. Personal subscriptions have suffered less from rising prices, but an increasing gap has opened up between personal and institutional subscription rates. This is being exploited by some unscrupulous agents, who are fraudulently buying journals at personal subscription rates and reselling them to libraries at discounted institutional rates, thus making huge profits and undermining the businesses of both the publishers and those agents who operate legitimately. Measures are being taken to counteract the problem, including the establishment by the Association of Subscription Agents and Intermediaries of a branch in the Middle East, where the problem is quite common, and the introduction of policy rules regarding personal subscriptions by the majority of STM publishers.