Metal-coated polycarbonate monopolar plates for portable fuel cells

Studies on surface modification of polypropylene composite bipolar plates using an electroless deposition technique

“…Increasing surface electrical conductivity and corrosion resistance is another interesting approach for decreasing the contact resistance. Noble metals such as gold, 7,8 Ni, [9][10][11] and Zr 12 were utilized as a coating material to achieve set target contact resistance. The simplest solution is to apply high clamping pressure during a cell or stack assembling process.…”

“…To achieve a successful coating, two main procedures: surface treatment, an electrically conductive coating, must be performed. 8 The surface treatment, such as sandpaper scratching, 16 chemical etching, or plasma treating, 17 is used to get rid of the polymer-rich layer on the surface of the polymer composite. The electrically conductive coating is the major step in laying conductive material; graphite, ZrN, TiN, Ni-Mo-P, Cu, Ni, Au, and graphene-coated copper plate 8,[18][19][20] for instance, on another material substrate.…”

“…8 The surface treatment, such as sandpaper scratching, 16 chemical etching, or plasma treating, 17 is used to get rid of the polymer-rich layer on the surface of the polymer composite. The electrically conductive coating is the major step in laying conductive material; graphite, ZrN, TiN, Ni-Mo-P, Cu, Ni, Au, and graphene-coated copper plate 8,[18][19][20] for instance, on another material substrate. In general, coating conductive materials on metallic BP surface is intended to prevent corrosion, while surface conductivity can be maintained.…”

Metal‐coated Polyether Ether Ketone Monopolar Plates for Polymer Electrolyte Membrane Fuel Cell

“…And the graphite composite material cannot assure the good electrical conductivity and mechanical strength . In these reasons, metal‐coated polymer bipolar plate was introduced recently . Most polymers are inherently lightweight and have good chemical and physical properties compared with graphite but have lower electrical conductivity.…”

“…Most polymers are inherently lightweight and have good chemical and physical properties compared with graphite but have lower electrical conductivity. Therefore, by coating the surface of polymer with metal such as Ni, Cu, Ag, and Au, the electrical conductivity can be increased to comparable level of the ordinary bipolar plate materials …”