Coating Structure for Plates, Coating Method for Plates, and Bipolar Plate

A method for coating a plate, comprising:

• providing a plate comprising a first surface oriented toward an MEA structure and a second surface opposite the first surface, the first surface including a protruding ridge and a media channel for directing media, a top of the ridge abutting the MEA structure and the media channel defined between the ridges;
• providing a mask at least tightly attached to a top of a ridge to expose at least a portion of a surface of a media channel;
• submerging the plate covered by the mask into a deposition environment to deposit a first anti-corrosion material on the exposed surface of the media channel;
• providing another mask that is at least tightly attached to the top of the ridge to expose at least another portion of the surface of the media channel;
• submerging the plate covered by the other mask into a deposition environment to deposit other anti-corrosion materials on the exposed surface of the media channel;
• removing the other mask and using at least one further mask to fill and adhere to a surface of the media channel to only expose the top of the ridge on the first surface side;
• depositing a second anti-corrosion material on the top;
• and
• removing the at least one further mask,
• wherein the first anti-corrosion material is different from the second anti-corrosion material and the second anti-corrosion material has a higher electrical conductivity than the first anti-corrosion material.

A method for coating a plate, comprising:

• providing a plate comprising a first surface oriented toward an MEA structure and a second surface opposite the first surface, the first surface including a protruding ridge and a media channel for directing media, a top of the ridge abutting the MEA structure and the media channel defined between the ridges;
• submerging the plate into a deposition environment to deposit a first anti-corrosion material on a first surface of the plate;
• removing the first anti-corrosion material at a top of the ridge;
• using a mask to fill and adhere to a surface of the media channel to only expose the top of the ridge on the first surface side;
• depositing a second anti-corrosion material on the top;
• and
• removing the mask,
• wherein the first anti-corrosion material is different from the second anti-corrosion material and the second anti-corrosion material has a higher electrical conductivity than the first anti-corrosion material.