Orion Industries has entered into an agreement with Argonne National Laboratory to develop low-cost, lightweight replacements for graphite PEM bipolar plates that are the heart of automotive fuel cells.
Argonne is recognized internationally as a leader in the adaptation of scientific phenomena to commercial applications. It chose Orion Industries to partner with for the PEM project because of Orion’s record of innovation in the field of high-performance coatings.
“The goal of the project is to make a commercially viable replacement for graphite plates by coating stamped aluminum plates with a unique conductive coating,” stated George Osterhout, vice president of Orion. Target of the DOT funded project is to develop a plate with an overall energy cost of $3 per kilowatt, 65 percent less than stainless steel or graphite PEM plates.
The coating to encapsulate the aluminum plates must protect the aluminum from the corrosive environment of fuel cells, and at the same time be highly conductive. At this point, several formulations of ETFE, in a matrix with conductive materials such as graphite particles, carbon black, CaB2 or TiB2, look good.
“Orion will develop the techniques to apply these materials commercially,” noted Osterhout.
