Carbon fiber reinforced fluorocarbon-graphite bipolar current collector-separator

Abstract

A bipolar current collector-separator for electrochemical cells consists of a molded aggregate of electro-conductive graphite and a thermoplastic fluoropolymer particles reinforced with carbon fibers to increase the strength and maintain high electrical conductivity. The graphite and the thermoplastic fluoropolymer are combined in weight ratio ranging from 2.5:1 to 16:1. The carbon fibers may constitute from 10 to 80 weight percent of the conductive graphite. The bulk resistivity of such a molded bipolar current collector is less than 4.times.10.sup.-3 ohm inches (.sigma. in.) It has excellent corrosion resistance to a variety of feed stocks such as brine, aqueous HCl, water, etc. and to various electrolysis products, such as caustic, chlorine, hydrogen, etc. This invention relates to a molded, conductive, fiber reinforced, current collecting-separator structure for electrochemical cells and, more particularly, to one utilizing thermoplastic fluoropolymer resin binders for bonding electroconductive particles into a solid, current collecting-separator structure reinforced by carbon or graphite fibers or fiber structures.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.