09.14.17
CPI announced that it has been collaborating with leading partners to develop novel, conductive coatings for proton exchange membrane (PEM) fuel cell bipolar plates. The NovCoat consortium is applying state-of-the-art technologies to accelerate the pace of fuel cell cost reduction.
Intelligent Energy is leading this project in collaboration with CPI and Haydale, to develop new conductive coatings containing nanocarbons to replace the more traditional physical vapor deposition (PVD) methods.
There is increasing demand for the production of PEM fuel cells since they offer the benefit of clean, high efficiency electricity generation across a broad power range. Conventional metallic PEM fuel cell bipolar plates usually require the application of an electrically conductive coating to minimize resistive losses.
These coatings are presently applied either in a batch or continuous process usually using a variety of highly technical processes including thermal spraying, CVD and, most often, PVD. These approaches incur considerable cost; through labor associated with chamber loading and unloading, the process times required to achieve high vacuum, or through the capital investment required for continuous vacuum processing.
The 12-month NovCoat project has evaluated the technical feasibility and cost-saving opportunities of using low-cost, wet-coatings applied by high-throughput, ambient processes to replace PVD methods. The project has developed advanced coatings utilizing functionalized nanocarbons (graphene and/or carbon nanotubes) as the primary electrically conducting component to improve z plane conductivity in line with USDoE automotive targets. These coatings were applied using roll-to-roll techniques to pre-coat low cost stainless steel foils, and post-coat after part fabrication.
The NovCoat project has successfully demonstrated the fabrication of nanocarbon coatings on stainless steel with performance similar to PVD coatings, and the feasibility of ambient, solution based roll-to-roll processes which will help drive output levels and permit major cost reduction.
Intelligent Energy is leading this project in collaboration with CPI and Haydale, to develop new conductive coatings containing nanocarbons to replace the more traditional physical vapor deposition (PVD) methods.
There is increasing demand for the production of PEM fuel cells since they offer the benefit of clean, high efficiency electricity generation across a broad power range. Conventional metallic PEM fuel cell bipolar plates usually require the application of an electrically conductive coating to minimize resistive losses.
These coatings are presently applied either in a batch or continuous process usually using a variety of highly technical processes including thermal spraying, CVD and, most often, PVD. These approaches incur considerable cost; through labor associated with chamber loading and unloading, the process times required to achieve high vacuum, or through the capital investment required for continuous vacuum processing.
The 12-month NovCoat project has evaluated the technical feasibility and cost-saving opportunities of using low-cost, wet-coatings applied by high-throughput, ambient processes to replace PVD methods. The project has developed advanced coatings utilizing functionalized nanocarbons (graphene and/or carbon nanotubes) as the primary electrically conducting component to improve z plane conductivity in line with USDoE automotive targets. These coatings were applied using roll-to-roll techniques to pre-coat low cost stainless steel foils, and post-coat after part fabrication.
The NovCoat project has successfully demonstrated the fabrication of nanocarbon coatings on stainless steel with performance similar to PVD coatings, and the feasibility of ambient, solution based roll-to-roll processes which will help drive output levels and permit major cost reduction.
