CarbonNanoTubes (CNT) in Bipolar Plates for PEM Fuel Cell Applications

Using standard mass production techniques for the fabrication of fuel cell components, such as bipolar plates, is a main issue for the commercialisation of PEM fuel cell systems. Bipolar plates contribute significantly to the cost structure of PEM stacks. In an upcoming fuel cell market a large number of bipolar plates with specific high-quality standards will be needed. At the Centre for Fuel Cell Technology (ZBT) together with the University of Duisburg-Essen fuel cell stacks based on injection moulded bipolar plates have been developed and demonstrated successfully [1]. This paper focuses on the interactions between carbon filling materials (graphite, carbon black and carbon nanotubes (CNT)) in compound based bipolar plates and especially the potential of CNTs, which were used in bipolar plates for the first time. The entire value added chain based on the feedstock, the compounding and injection moulding process, the component bipolar plate, up to the operation of a PEM single fuel cell stack with CNT-based bipolar plates is disclosed.