Methods for making tailored permeability fuel cell bipolar plates

A method for designing an anisotropic microchannel layout for a flow field of a bipolar plate, the method comprising:

• defining a fluid flow optimization domain with boundary conditions and loads;
• using a gradient-based algorithm together with computational fluid dynamics to optimize the domain for minimum flow resistance;
• setting the minimum inverse permeability to a non-zero value, and obtaining a grayscale design and fluid velocity field;
• using Gray-Scott reaction diffusion equations and an anisotropic diffusion tensor along with the grayscale design and fluid velocity field and to generate an anisotropic microchannel layout having a connected line and space pattern;
• and
• incorporating the anisotropic microchannel layout as a pattern for the flow field of the bipolar plate.

A method for manufacturing a bipolar plate for a fuel cell, the method comprising:

• performing an interpolation process to design a flow distribution network, the interpolation process comprising:
• defining a fluid flow optimization domain with boundary conditions and loads;
• using a gradient-based algorithm together with computational fluid dynamics to optimize the domain for minimum flow resistance;
• setting the minimum inverse permeability to a non-zero value, and obtaining a grayscale design and fluid velocity field;
• using Gray-Scott reaction diffusion equations with the grayscale design and fluid velocity field to obtain a variable pitch microchannel flow field layout;
• and
• using at least one of an additive manufacturing technique, a metal inverse opal electroplating technique, and a hybrid combination thereof, to create the variable pitch microchannel flow field layout configured to direct fluid from an inlet to an outlet of the bipolar plate.