HYDROPHILIC/HYDROPHOBIC PATTERNED SURFACES AND METHODS OF MAKING AND USING THE SAME

• US 20100239958A1
• Filed: 06/04/2010
• Published: 09/23/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 05/23/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: GM Global Technology Operations LLC (General Motors Company)
• Original Assignee: GM Global Technology Operations Incorporated (General Motors Company)
• Inventors: Xie, Tao
• Granted Patent: US 8,790,845 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 429/518
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 2008/1095 Fuel cells with polymeric electrolytes
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 8/0221 Organic resins; Organic polymers
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 8/0223 Composites
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 8/0228 in the form of layered or coated products
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 8/04171 using adsorbents, wicks or hydrophilic material
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 60/50 Fuel cells
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 428/24802 Discontinuous or differential coating, impregnation or bond [e.g., artwork, printing, retouched photograph, etc.]

Abstract

One embodiment includes a substrate having a plurality of molecular chains, each chain comprising a hydrophilic group, a hydrophobic segment, and a reversible crosslinker.

Claims

1. A product comprising a substrate comprising a plurality of molecular chains comprising a hydrophilic group, a hydrophobic segment, and a reversible crosslinker.

2. A product comprising a substrate, a plurality of molecular chains attached to the substrate, each chain comprising a hydrophilic group, a hydrophobic segment, and a photo-reversible crosslinker.

3. A product comprising a substrate having a reconstructable hydrophobic/hydrophilic patterned surface comprising a plurality of molecular chains, each chain containing a hydrophilic group, a hydrophobic segment and a photo-reversible crosslinked portion.

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17. A product comprising a fuel cell bipolar plate comprising a substrate comprising a patterned surface comprising hydrophobic and hydrophilic regions comprising a plurality of molecular chains, each chain containing a hydrophilic group, a hydrophobic segment and a reversible crosslinked portion.

18. A product as set forth in claim 17 wherein chains in the hydrophilic region are stretched so that the hydrophilic group is furthest from the substrate to provide a surface of the hydrophilic groups.

19. A product as set forth in claim 17 wherein the chains in the hydrophilic group in the hydrophilic region are bent so that the hydrophilic group is attached to the substrate and a surface of the hydrophobic segment is provided.

20. A product as set forth in claim 17 wherein the bipolar plate does not include a reactant flow field defined by lands and channels therebetween.

21. A product as set forth in claim 17 wherein the bipolar plate comprising a reactant gas flow field is defined by at least two lands and a channel therebetween, the channel being defined at least in part by a floor surface and wherein the patterned surface is on the floor surface.

22. A product comprising a fuel cell bipolar plate having a reactant gas flow field defined therein by at least a plurality of lands and channels, the channel being at least partially defined by a surface, and a virtual microgroove over the surface comprising a plurality of molecular chains each comprising a hydrophilic group and a crosslinked portion.

23. A product as set forth in claim 22 wherein each molecular chain further comprises a hydrophobic segment.

24. A product as set forth in claim 22 wherein the crosslinked portion is reversibly crosslinked

25. A product as set forth in claim 22 wherein the region has a width less than 50 μ

m.