초록 ▼

Thin, light weight bipolar plates for use in electrochemical cells are rapidly, and inexpensively manufactured in mass production by die casting, stamping or other well known methods for fabricating magnesium or aluminum parts. The use of a light metal, such as magnesium or aluminum minimizes weight

Thin, light weight bipolar plates for use in electrochemical cells are rapidly, and inexpensively manufactured in mass production by die casting, stamping or other well known methods for fabricating magnesium or aluminum parts. The use of a light metal, such as magnesium or aluminum minimizes weight and simultaneously improves both electrical and thermal conductivity compared to conventional carbon parts. For service in electrochemical cells these components must be protected from corrosion. This is accomplished by plating the surface of the light weight metal parts with a layer of denser, but more noble metal. The protective metal layer is deposited in one of several ways. One of these is deposition from an aqueous solution by either electroless means, electrolytic means, or a combination of the two. Another is deposition by electrolytic means from a non-aqueous solution, such as a molten salt.

대표청구항

1. A lightweight bipolar plate comprising:gas flow channels and contact surfaces, characterized in that the bipolar plate comprises a light metal selected from aluminum, magnesium and mixtures thereof, and further characterized in that surfaces of the gas flow channels are hydrophobic.

1. A lightweight bipolar plate comprising:gas flow channels and contact surfaces, characterized in that the bipolar plate comprises a light metal selected from aluminum, magnesium and mixtures thereof, and further characterized in that surfaces of the gas flow channels are hydrophobic.