Fuel cell bipolar plate alloys
AssigneeRobert Bosch GmbH
InventorsSoo Kim, Jonathan Mailoa, Lei Cheng, Nathan Craig
Life of this patent
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Abstract
Fuel cell alloy bipolar plates. The alloys may be used as a coating or bulk material. The alloys and metallic glasses may be particularly suitable for proton-exchange membrane fuel cells because of they may exhibit reduced weights and/or better corrosion resistance. The alloys may include any of the following AlxCuyTiz, AlxFeyNiz, AlxMnyNiz, AlxNiyTiz, CuxFeyTiz, CuxNiyTiz, AlxFeySiz, AlxMnySiz, AlxNiySiz, NixSiyTiz, and CxFeySiz. The alloys or metallic glass may be doped with various dopants to improve glass forming ability, mechanical strength, ductility, electrical or thermal conductivities, hydrophobicity, and/or corrosion resistance.
Claims17
A bipolar plate of a fuel cell, the bipolar plate comprising:
- a body defining a first surface and a second surface, the first and second surfaces having (i) at least a partially amorphous structure and (ii) a composition represented by a formula:
- CuxFeyTiz or CuxNiyTiz;
- where x is 0.1 to 0.75;
- y is 0.05 to 0.45;
- z is 0.05 to 0.8 and the sum of x, y, and z is 1, at least one of the first and second surfaces forming an outermost surface exposed to one or more flow passages when arranged in the fuel cell.
A fuel cell comprising:
- a proton exchange membrane;
- a plurality of catalyst electrode layers;
- and
- bipolar plates defining one or more flow passages, the bipolar plates including a substrate consisting of steel, titanium, nickel, aluminum, and/or copper, and an alloy directly disposed on the substrate and arranged to contact fuel and/or by-products traveling in the one or more flow passages, the alloy having at least a partially amorphous structure and a formula:
- Cu0.35Fe0.05Ti0.6, Cu0.4Fe0.1Ti0.5, Cu0.45Fe0.05Ti0.5, Cu0.55Fe0.05Ti0.4, Cu0.05Ni0.2Ti0.75, Cu0.1Ni0.2Ti0.7, Cu0.2Ni0.1Ti0.7, Cu0.30Ni0.1Ti0.6, Cu0.4Ni0.1Ti0.5, Cu0.5Ni0.1Ti0.4, or Cu0.6Ni0.1Ti0.3.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.