Nylon 6/CB polymeric conductive plastic bipolar plates for PEM fuel cells

Bipolar plate materials are a potential alternative to the graphite sheets currently used in proton exchange membrane fuel cells (PEMFCs). These materials must be of low-cost, easy to fabricate, light, strong, mechanically stable, and have a low surface contact resistance if they are to be widely applicable. Nylon 6 polymer thermoplastic and carbon black (CB, 100-600 nm) blends have nanoparticle carbon (30-50 nm), high electrical and thermal conductivity, and good gas tightness properties. These composites are suitable for the mass fabrication of bipolar plates using an injection molding process. In this study, various Nylon 6/CB composites are used to fabricate bipolar-parallel-plate gas-flow channel. The bipolar plates are fabricated with three different gas flow channel configurations, namely serpentine, grid, and branch. The bipolar plates are then used in the construction of PEMFCs. The temperature effect on the resistivity of the Nylon 6/CB polymeric composite is investigated and the voltage-current curves and power density-current curves obtained from the different PEMFCs are analyzed. (c) 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.