CN118213550A - Bipolar plate for proton exchange membrane fuel cell and preparation method thereof - Google Patents

Bipolar plate for proton exchange membrane fuel cell and preparation method thereof Download PDF

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Publication number
CN118213550A
CN118213550A CN202410382183.1A CN202410382183A CN118213550A CN 118213550 A CN118213550 A CN 118213550A CN 202410382183 A CN202410382183 A CN 202410382183A CN 118213550 A CN118213550 A CN 118213550A
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China
Prior art keywords
flow channel
bipolar plate
plastic
cooling medium
fuel cell
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CN202410382183.1A
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Chinese (zh)
Inventor
张伟堂
曹寅亮
倪淮生
吴玉龙
许超杰
杨光华
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Zhejiang Tianneng Hydrogen Energy Technology Co ltd
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Zhejiang Tianneng Hydrogen Energy Technology Co ltd
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Priority to CN202410382183.1A priority Critical patent/CN118213550A/en
Publication of CN118213550A publication Critical patent/CN118213550A/en
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Abstract

The invention discloses a bipolar plate for a proton exchange membrane fuel cell and a preparation method thereof, and relates to the field of proton exchange membrane fuel cells. The invention firstly produces the conductive spine by casting and then injects the conductive spine into the flow field by injection molding of special plastic, and compared with the traditional method for respectively processing the cathode plate and the anode plate, the invention has the advantages of low cost, light structure and less ion precipitation, and is beneficial to the light weight and the durability of the galvanic pile.

Description

Bipolar plate for proton exchange membrane fuel cell and preparation method thereof
Technical Field
The invention relates to the field of proton exchange membrane fuel cells, in particular to a bipolar plate for a proton exchange membrane fuel cell and a preparation method thereof.
Background
A fuel cell is an electrochemical energy conversion device that converts chemical energy of hydrogen and air into electric energy. In a fuel cell, hydrogen releases electrons under the action of an anode-side catalyst, the electrons are converted into protons, the electrons are transferred from an external circuit to a cathode side, and the protons permeate through a proton membrane to reach a cathode. On the cathode side, under the action of a cathode catalyst, oxygen of air and electrons transmitted from an external circuit and protons permeated from an anode combine to generate water and heat.
The reaction process of the anode or the cathode is an electrochemical process which occurs on the surface of the catalyst and involves the combination or interconversion of a plurality of substances in the form of three substances, namely a gas phase (hydrogen or air), a liquid phase (protons exist in the form of hydrated ions and are conducted in an ionic resin) and a solid phase (a metal catalyst and a carrier thereof, both of which are electronic conductors). The reaction sites involving three phases formed in the vicinity of the catalyst are called three-phase interfaces. Obviously, in order to ensure that the electrochemical reaction at the three-phase interface proceeds smoothly, it is necessary to ensure sufficient and timely supply of the three phases, and therefore, the design and manufacture of the fuel cell are required to satisfy basic requirements: first, there should be efficient macroscopic and microscopic mass transport pathways that ensure that the reactive gases and hydrated ions are uniformly distributed across the surface of the electrode and then diffuse to the vast majority of the catalyst surface. The water generated by the reaction can be timely discharged out of the battery, so that the condition that flooding blocks a gas passage is prevented; secondly, the catalyst should also have a good electron path at the same time, so as to ensure that electrons can be smoothly transmitted to the surface of the catalyst.
In order to achieve uniform distribution of gas and liquid water within the cell, fuel cells typically employ bipolar plate designs (also known as flow field plates or flow fields) with flow directing structures that direct the transported hydrogen or air to the entire electrode surface and direct the generated water out of the cell. In addition, the cooling water of the electric pile can be uniformly distributed in the electric pile by means of the diversion design, so that heat generated by the reaction is timely taken out of the electric pile, and the electric pile is controlled at a proper temperature. The corresponding flow fields may be referred to as hydrogen flow fields, air flow fields, and cooling water flow fields, depending on the species transported on the flow field plate.
In order to ensure good conductivity, bipolar plates are typically stamped using a metal stamping process that is well conductive. In the processing process, a concave-convex structure with special patterns can be formed on the polar plate, wherein the convex part can be used as a floating point array or a flow guiding strip of the flow guiding area according to the shape, and the concave part can be used as a sealing groove or a flow channel correspondingly.
However, the traditional cathode plate and anode plate are usually manufactured by machining graphite or corrosion-resistant metal stamping, so that the cost is high, the stamped metal plate is high in ion precipitation, the membrane electrode is easy to damage, and the metal plate is low in mass power density, so that the weight of the electric pile is not easy to lighten.
Disclosure of Invention
Based on the defects in the prior art, the invention provides a bipolar plate for a proton exchange membrane fuel cell and a preparation method thereof, and the preparation method is combined with casting and injection molding, so that the integrated bipolar plate can be produced in a large scale.
In order to achieve the above object, the technical scheme of the present invention is as follows:
The invention provides a bipolar plate for a proton exchange membrane fuel cell, which comprises a flow field region positioned in the middle and inlet and outlet regions positioned at two ends of the flow field region; the hydrogen flow field, the air flow field and the cooling medium flow field are respectively provided with a plurality of hydrogen flow channels, air flow channels and cooling medium flow channels; the inlet/outlet area is provided with an inlet/outlet for connecting the hydrogen flow field, the air flow field and the cooling medium flow field, the hydrogen flow channel, the air flow channel and the cooling medium flow channel in the flow field are in one-to-one correspondence, the side walls of the hydrogen flow channel, the air flow channel and the cooling medium flow channel are formed by casting corrosion-resistant conductive substances, and the bottom surfaces of the hydrogen flow channel, the air flow channel and the cooling medium flow channel and the inlet/outlet area are formed by plastic injection molding.
Preferably, the corrosion-resistant conductive material for forming the side wall is cast to form a conductive spine, and the conductive spine, the bottom surface and the inlet and outlet areas are integrally injection molded when the bottom surface is injection molded, so that the bipolar plate made of embedded materials is obtained. The corrosion-resistant conductive spine of the bipolar plate integrates the cathode plate and the anode plate, so that compared with the traditional design, the damage of ion precipitation to the membrane electrode is reduced due to the addition of injection molding materials.
Further, the corrosion-resistant conductive material used for casting the side walls forming the hydrogen flow channel, the air flow channel and the cooling medium flow channel is at least one of the following: conductive graphite, stainless steel with corrosion resistance, noble metal gold or silver with corrosion resistance. The corrosion resistant stainless steel is preferably stainless steel 316L.
Further, the plastic used for forming the bottom surfaces of the hydrogen flow channel, the air flow channel and the cooling medium flow channel by injection molding is epoxy resin. The volume power of the fuel cell can be effectively improved by injection molding of a thin-layer low-density special plastic.
Further, in one case, the bipolar plate is in a single plate structure, the same side surface of the conductive spine is injection molded to form two plastic bottom surfaces, the outer sides of the two plastic bottom surfaces are respectively used for forming the hydrogen flow channel and the air flow channel, and the cooling medium flow channel is formed between the two plastic bottom surfaces.
Further, in another case, the bipolar plate is a double-plate structure and is formed by bonding two single plates, the same side face of the conductive spine on each single plate is injection molded to form a plastic bottom face, when the two single plates are bonded to form the double-plate structure, the outer sides of the bottom faces of the two plastic are respectively used for forming the hydrogen flow channel and the air flow channel, and the cooling medium flow channel is formed between the bottom faces of the two plastic.
Further, both ends of the bottom surface of the plastic are respectively embedded into the side surfaces of the conductive spine.
The invention also provides a preparation method of the bipolar plate for the proton exchange membrane fuel cell, which comprises the following steps:
(1) Casting to form a side wall structure of the corrosion-resistant conductive material;
(2) And (3) injection molding to form a bottom surface of the plastic and the inlet and outlet areas, and putting the side wall structure of the corrosion-resistant conductive material obtained in the step (1) into a mold for integral injection molding during injection molding to obtain the bipolar plate made of embedded materials. The bipolar plate is integrally manufactured, so that the stacking efficiency of the fuel cell stack can be effectively improved. The bipolar plate is prepared by casting and injection molding, so that the bipolar plate is applicable to mass production and the efficiency is effectively improved.
Specifically, the bipolar plate is a double-plate structure and is formed by bonding two single plates, the same side face of the conductive spine on each single plate is injection molded to form a plastic bottom face, when the two single plates are bonded to form the double-plate structure, the outer sides of the bottom faces of the two plastic are respectively used for forming the hydrogen flow channel and the air flow channel, the cooling medium flow channel is formed between the bottom faces of the two plastic,
Firstly, obtaining single plates through the step (1) and the step (2), and then attaching two single plates together to obtain the bipolar plate.
The invention has the beneficial effects that:
the invention firstly produces the conductive spine by casting and then injects the conductive spine into the flow field by injection molding of special plastic, and compared with the traditional method for respectively processing the cathode plate and the anode plate, the invention has the advantages of low cost, light structure and less ion precipitation, and is beneficial to the light weight and the durability of the galvanic pile.
Drawings
FIG. 1 is a schematic view of a bipolar plate for a PEM fuel cell of the present invention;
FIG. 2 is a top view of a bipolar plate for a PEM fuel cell according to the present invention;
fig. 3 is a bottom view of a bipolar plate for a proton exchange membrane fuel cell according to the present invention;
FIG. 4 is a schematic view of a flow field region of a bipolar plate of the present invention;
FIG. 5 is a side view of a flow field region of a bipolar plate of the present invention;
FIG. 6 is a schematic diagram of a bipolar plate of the present invention in a single plate configuration;
Fig. 7 is a schematic view of a bipolar plate of the present invention in a double plate structure.
Detailed Description
Example 1
1-7, The present invention provides a bipolar plate for a proton exchange membrane fuel cell, the bipolar plate comprising a flow field region in the middle and inlet and outlet regions at both ends of the flow field region; the two sides of the flow field area are respectively provided with a hydrogen flow field and an air flow field, the inside of the flow field area is provided with a cooling medium flow field, and the hydrogen flow field, the air flow field and the cooling medium flow field are respectively provided with a plurality of hydrogen flow channels, air flow channels and cooling medium flow channels; the inlet and outlet areas are provided with inlets and outlets for connecting the hydrogen flow field, the air flow field and the cooling medium flow field, the hydrogen flow channel, the air flow channel and the cooling medium flow channel in the flow field area are in one-to-one correspondence, the side walls of the hydrogen flow channel, the air flow channel and the cooling medium flow channel are formed by casting corrosion-resistant conductive substances, and the bottom surfaces of the hydrogen flow channel, the air flow channel and the cooling medium flow channel and the inlet and outlet areas are formed by plastic injection molding.
In order to reduce the damage of ion precipitation to the membrane electrode, an injection molding material is added, namely, a corrosion-resistant conductive substance used for forming the side wall is cast to form a conductive spine, and the conductive spine, the bottom surface and the inlet and outlet areas are integrally injection molded when the bottom surface is formed by injection molding, so that the bipolar plate made of embedded materials is obtained. Specifically, two ends of the bottom surface of the plastic are respectively embedded into the side surfaces of the conductive spine. The embedding mode can be selected from the group consisting of snap connection, hot press embedding, plug-in embedding and the like. To further enhance the corrosion resistance of the bipolar plate, a protective coating may be provided around the conductive spine. The coating can be applied by common coating techniques such as dip coating, spin coating, brush coating, spray coating and the like, and can also be physical or chemical vapor deposition techniques, magnetron sputtering ion plating techniques and the like.
Specifically, the corrosion-resistant conductive material used for casting the side walls of the hydrogen flow channel, the air flow channel and the cooling medium flow channel can be selected from conductive graphite, corrosion-resistant stainless steel, corrosion-resistant noble metal gold or silver, other high corrosion-resistant conductive materials and the like. Stainless steel 316L may be preferred for corrosion resistant stainless steel.
In order to effectively improve the volume power of the fuel cell, a thin layer of low-density special plastic can be selected for injection molding during injection molding, namely, the plastic used for forming the bottom surfaces of the hydrogen flow channel, the air flow channel and the cooling medium flow channel and the inlet and outlet areas by injection molding is selected as epoxy resin.
The inlet and outlet areas of the hydrogen flow channel, the air flow channel and the cooling medium flow channel can be provided with square sealing grooves for introducing hydrogen, air and cooling medium into the hydrogen flow channel, the air flow channel and the cooling medium flow channel.
In one case, as shown in fig. 6, the bipolar plate is configured as a single plate structure, two plastic bottom surfaces are injection-molded on the same side of the conductive spine, the outer sides of the two plastic bottom surfaces are respectively used for forming a hydrogen flow channel and an air flow channel, and a cooling medium flow channel is formed between the two plastic bottom surfaces.
In another case, as shown in fig. 7, the bipolar plate is configured as a double-plate structure, and is formed by laminating two single plates, the same side of the conductive spine on each single plate is injection molded to form a plastic bottom surface, when the two single plates are laminated to form the double-plate structure, the outer sides of the bottom surfaces of the two plastic are respectively used for forming a hydrogen flow channel and an air flow channel, and a cooling medium flow channel is formed between the bottom surfaces of the two plastic.
Example 2
The invention also provides a preparation method of the bipolar plate for the proton exchange membrane fuel cell, which comprises the following steps:
(1) Casting to form a side wall structure of the corrosion-resistant conductive material;
The corrosion-resistant conductive material can be selected from conductive graphite, corrosion-resistant stainless steel, corrosion-resistant noble metal gold or silver, other high corrosion-resistant conductive materials and the like; to further enhance the corrosion resistance of the bipolar plate, a protective coating may be provided around the sidewall structure. The coating can be applied by common coating techniques such as dip coating, spin coating, brush coating, spray coating, and the like, and can also be physical or chemical vapor deposition techniques, magnetron sputtering ion plating techniques, and the like.
(2) And (3) injection molding to form a bottom surface and an inlet and outlet area of the plastic, and putting the side wall structure of the corrosion-resistant conductive substance obtained in the step (1) into a mold for integral injection molding during injection molding to obtain the bipolar plate made of embedded materials.
And detecting the air tightness of the prepared bipolar plate made of the embedded material, wherein the bipolar plate meeting the air tightness requirement can be used.
The bipolar plate is integrally manufactured, so that the stacking efficiency of the fuel cell stack can be effectively improved. The bipolar plate is prepared by casting and injection molding, so that the bipolar plate is applicable to mass production and the efficiency is effectively improved.
Example 3
The invention also provides a preparation method of the bipolar plate for the proton exchange membrane fuel cell, wherein the bipolar plate is arranged into a double-plate structure and is formed by bonding two single plates, and the preparation method specifically comprises the following steps:
(1) Casting to form a side wall structure of the corrosion-resistant conductive material;
The corrosion-resistant conductive material can be selected from conductive graphite, corrosion-resistant stainless steel, corrosion-resistant noble metal gold or silver, other high corrosion-resistant conductive materials and the like; to further enhance the corrosion resistance of the bipolar plate, a protective coating may be provided around the sidewall structure. The coating can be applied by common coating techniques such as dip coating, spin coating, brush coating, spray coating, and the like, and can also be physical or chemical vapor deposition techniques, magnetron sputtering ion plating techniques, and the like.
(2) Injection molding to form a bottom surface and an inlet and outlet area of the plastic, and putting the side wall structure of the corrosion-resistant conductive material obtained in the step (1) into a mold for integral injection molding to obtain a single polar plate made of embedded materials;
Wherein the side wall structure, i.e. the same side of the conductive spine, is injection molded to form a plastic bottom surface.
(3) Firstly, obtaining a single polar plate through the step (1) and the step (2), and then, embedding, sealing and attaching the two single polar plates together to obtain the bipolar plate.
When two single plates are attached to form a double-plate structure, the outer sides of the bottom surfaces of the two plastics are respectively used for forming a hydrogen flow channel and an air flow channel, and a cooling medium flow channel is formed between the bottom surfaces of the two plastics.

Claims (9)

1. A bipolar plate for a proton exchange membrane fuel cell, the bipolar plate comprising a flow field region in the middle and inlet and outlet regions at both ends of the flow field region; the hydrogen flow field, the air flow field and the cooling medium flow field are respectively provided with a plurality of hydrogen flow channels, air flow channels and cooling medium flow channels; the inlet/outlet area is provided with an inlet/outlet for connecting the hydrogen flow field, the air flow field and the cooling medium flow field, and is characterized in that the hydrogen flow channel, the air flow channel and the cooling medium flow channel in the flow field area are in one-to-one correspondence, the side walls of the hydrogen flow channel, the air flow channel and the cooling medium flow channel are formed by casting corrosion-resistant conductive substances, and the bottom surfaces of the hydrogen flow channel, the air flow channel and the cooling medium flow channel and the inlet/outlet area are formed by plastic injection molding.
2. The bipolar plate for a proton exchange membrane fuel cell as claimed in claim 1, wherein the corrosion-resistant conductive material for forming the side wall is cast to form a conductive spine, and the conductive spine is injection molded integrally with the bottom surface and the inlet and outlet areas while the bottom surface is injection molded to obtain the bipolar plate of the fitting material.
3. The bipolar plate for a proton exchange membrane fuel cell as claimed in claim 2, wherein the corrosion resistant conductive material used for casting the side walls forming the hydrogen flow path, the air flow path and the cooling medium flow path is at least one of: conductive graphite, stainless steel with corrosion resistance, noble metal gold or silver with corrosion resistance.
4. The bipolar plate for a proton exchange membrane fuel cell as claimed in claim 2, wherein plastic used for injection molding the bottom surfaces of the hydrogen flow path, the air flow path, and the cooling medium flow path and the inlet and outlet areas is epoxy resin.
5. The bipolar plate for a proton exchange membrane fuel cell as claimed in claim 2, wherein the bipolar plate is of a single plate structure, the same side of the conductive spine is injection molded to form two plastic bottom surfaces, the outer sides of the two plastic bottom surfaces are respectively used for forming the hydrogen flow channel and the air flow channel, and the cooling medium flow channel is formed between the two plastic bottom surfaces.
6. The bipolar plate for a proton exchange membrane fuel cell as claimed in claim 2, wherein the bipolar plate is of a double-plate structure and is formed by laminating two single plates, wherein the same side face of the conductive spine on each single plate is injection molded to form a plastic bottom face, and when the two single plates are laminated to form the double-plate structure, the outer sides of the bottom faces of the two plastic are respectively used for forming the hydrogen flow channel and the air flow channel, and the cooling medium flow channel is formed between the bottom faces of the two plastic.
7. A bipolar plate for a proton exchange membrane fuel cell as claimed in claim 2, wherein the bottom surface of the plastic is embedded at both ends in the sides of the conductive spine, respectively.
8. A method for producing a bipolar plate for a proton exchange membrane fuel cell as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 7, comprising the steps of:
(1) Casting to form a side wall structure of the corrosion-resistant conductive material;
(2) And (3) injection molding to form a bottom surface of the plastic and the inlet and outlet areas, and putting the side wall structure of the corrosion-resistant conductive material obtained in the step (1) into a mold for integral injection molding during injection molding to obtain the bipolar plate made of embedded materials.
9. The method of claim 8, wherein the bipolar plate is a double-plate structure formed by bonding two single plates, the same side of the conductive spine on each single plate is injection molded to form a plastic bottom surface, when the two single plates are bonded to form the double-plate structure, the outer sides of the bottom surfaces of the two plastic are respectively used for forming the hydrogen flow channel and the air flow channel, the cooling medium flow channel is formed between the bottom surfaces of the two plastic,
Firstly, obtaining single plates through the step (1) and the step (2), and then attaching two single plates together to obtain the bipolar plate.
CN202410382183.1A 2024-03-29 2024-03-29 Bipolar plate for proton exchange membrane fuel cell and preparation method thereof Pending CN118213550A (en)

Priority Applications (1)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
CN202410382183.1A CN118213550A (en) 2024-03-29 2024-03-29 Bipolar plate for proton exchange membrane fuel cell and preparation method thereof

Applications Claiming Priority (1)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
CN202410382183.1A CN118213550A (en) 2024-03-29 2024-03-29 Bipolar plate for proton exchange membrane fuel cell and preparation method thereof

Publications (1)

Publication Number Publication Date
CN118213550A true CN118213550A (en) 2024-06-18

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