Three-dimensional hydrophilic porous structure for fuel cell plate

Abstract

The present invention relates to a three-dimensional hydrophilic porous structure for a fuel cell plate, and an execution scheme comprises a three-dimensional hydrophilic porous structure for a fuel cell collector plate.

Description

[0001] This application claims the benefit of US Provisional Application No. 60 / 939,678, filed May 23, 2007. technical field [0002] The field to which the present disclosure generally pertains includes fuel cell components comprising three-dimensional hydrophilic porous structures for solid state fuel cell plates. Background technique [0003] Fuel cells are known to include a collector plate, such as a bipolar or unipolar plate, for collecting electrons generated by fuel consumed by the fuel cell and for conveying fuel cell reactant gases through a reactant gas flow field. These reactive gas flow fields are defined by one or more channels that are machined, stamped, etched, molded, or otherwise formed in a solid substrate, usually of metal or composite material. The current collector plates are typically provided adjacent to the diffusion media material, which is typically a porous material such as carbon paper. Alternatively, in some configurations the current collector...

AI Technical Summary

Problems solved by technology

However, this and other organic-based hydrophilic coatings face the following problems: poor adhesion (whether wet or dry) on substrates such as stainless steel; High surface energy of superhydrophilic surfaces contaminated by aqueous pollutants; dissolution, where silica can dissolve in the fuel cell environment by reacting with membrane degradation by-products such as HF; thermal degradation, where coated A layer such as an organic coating ages with repeated exposure to temperatures of 90° and above and through repeated dry and wet cycles that cause reorientation of the hydrophilic groups on the upper surface of the coating, thereby reducing its Hydrophilicity; electrochemical aging, in which certain hydrophilic groups are electrochemically activated and aged in the substitution environment of the fuel cell

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