Doped Silicon Bipolar Plate With Cooling Channels for Fuel Cells
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Current bipolar plates for fuel cells, such as graphite and metal plates, face challenges with high costs, complex production processes, and limitations in gas barrier function, thermal conductivity, and corrosion resistance, making them unsuitable for large-scale industrialization.
Innovation Solution
A silicon plate made of doped conductive crystalline silicon with internal cooling and oxidizing agent flow channels, allowing for efficient current collection and heat dissipation, is used as a bipolar plate, eliminating the need for additional metal layers and enabling multi-layer fuel cell stacking.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If graphite plate or metal plate is used as bipolar plate, then current collection function is achieved, but cost increases and production process becomes complex
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges the bipolar plate body and current collection function into a single integrated silicon plate structure. The silicon plate itself serves as both the structural component and the current collector, eliminating the need for separate metal current collection layers that are required in conventional graphite or metal plates, thus simplifying the production process while maintaining current collection reliability
Solution Approach 2:
The silicon plate performs multiple functions simultaneously: it serves as the bipolar plate body providing gas barrier function, as the current collector conducting electricity, and as the base for flow field patterns. This multi-functionality eliminates the need for additional specialized layers required in conventional bipolar plates, reducing production complexity
2Temperature
If metal plate is used as bipolar plate, then thermal conductivity is improved, but corrosion resistance deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the material parameter from conventional metals to doped silicon, which inherently provides both high thermal conductivity and excellent corrosion resistance. The doping process modifies the electrical and thermal properties of silicon to make it suitable for bipolar plate application while maintaining its natural corrosion resistance advantage over metals
Solution Approach 2:
The patent uses doped silicon as a composite material that combines the thermal conductivity characteristics needed for heat dissipation with the chemical stability and corrosion resistance of silicon. This composite approach achieves both high thermal conductivity and corrosion resistance without requiring protective coatings or surface treatments
3Ease of manufacture
If silicon plate is used as bipolar plate, then production cost is reduced, but manufacturing precision requirement increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces conventional mechanical processing methods with semiconductor manufacturing techniques such as photolithography, chemical vapor deposition, and plasma etching. These techniques, borrowed from the mature semiconductor industry, enable precise patterning and processing of silicon plates at scale, achieving high manufacturing precision while maintaining cost-effectiveness through batch processing
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The silicon plate offers improved gas barrier function, high thermal conductivity, low resistivity, corrosion resistance, and mechanical strength, reducing production costs and increasing power density, making it suitable for batch processing and large-scale industrialization of fuel cells.
Implementation Method 1
made of a doped conductive crystalline silicon material
Implementation Method 2
internal cooling medium flow channel
Implementation Method 3
high thermal conductivity
Data Source
AI summary
The present invention discloses a silicon plate, a method for producing a silicon plate, an application of silicon to a fuel cell, a fuel cell stack structure, a fuel cell, and an application of a fuel cell. The silicon plate is made of a doped conductive crystalline silicon material, and has an internal cooling medium flow channel, a front reducing agent flow channel, and/or a back oxidizing agent flow channel, and each of the internal cooling medium flow channel, the front reducing agent flow channel, and/or the back oxidizing agent flow channel is provided with a silicon plate inlet-outlet combination connected to thereof. Compared with a metal plate, a graphite plate, or a composite material plate in the existing technologies, the silicon plate provided in the present invention are more advantageous in service life, costs, efficiency, and power density, and therefore significantly drives mass industrialization of fuel cells.