Process for application of a hydrophilic coating to fuel cell bipolar plates
First Claim
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1. A process comprising:
- providing a bipolar plate that comprises a plurality of lands and channels;
flowing a precursor gas that comprises a siloxane and a carrier gas that comprises oxygen into a plasma reaction chamber, wherein a volumetric flow rate ratio of the siloxane to the oxygen ranges from about 8% to about 10%;
depositing a coating comprising nodule shaped siloxane-derived nanoparticles over at least a portion of the bipolar plate using plasma assisted chemical vapor deposition of the precursor gas, wherein the siloxane-derived nanoparticles have a size ranging from about 1 to about 100 nm; and
positioning a porous diffusion media adjacent to the bipolar plate so that fibers from the diffusion media extend through the coating and provide an electrical flow path through the coating from the bipolar plate to the diffusion media.
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Abstract
A process comprising: depositing a coating on a fuel cell bipolar plate using plasma assisted chemical vapor deposition.
29 Citations
7 Claims
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1. A process comprising:
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providing a bipolar plate that comprises a plurality of lands and channels; flowing a precursor gas that comprises a siloxane and a carrier gas that comprises oxygen into a plasma reaction chamber, wherein a volumetric flow rate ratio of the siloxane to the oxygen ranges from about 8% to about 10%; depositing a coating comprising nodule shaped siloxane-derived nanoparticles over at least a portion of the bipolar plate using plasma assisted chemical vapor deposition of the precursor gas, wherein the siloxane-derived nanoparticles have a size ranging from about 1 to about 100 nm; and positioning a porous diffusion media adjacent to the bipolar plate so that fibers from the diffusion media extend through the coating and provide an electrical flow path through the coating from the bipolar plate to the diffusion media. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5)
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6. A process comprising:
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providing a cathode-side bipolar plate and an anode-side bipolar plate that each comprise a plurality of lands and channels; flowing a precursor gas that comprises a siloxane and a carrier gas that comprises oxygen into a plasma reaction chamber, wherein a volumetric flow rate ratio of the siloxane to the oxygen ranges from about 8% to about 10%; depositing a first coating that comprises nodule shaped siloxane-derived nanoparticles on at least a portion of the cathode-side bipolar plate using plasma assisted chemical vapor deposition of the precursor gas, wherein the siloxane-derived nanoparticles have a size ranging from about 1 to about 100 nm; depositing a second coating that comprises nodule shaped siloxane-derived nanoparticles on at least a portion of the anode-side bipolar plate using plasma assisted chemical vapor deposition of the precursor gas, wherein the siloxane-derived nanoparticles have a size ranging from about 1 to about 100 nm, and wherein the second coating is thicker than the first coating; positioning a first porous diffusion media adjacent to the cathode-side bipolar plate so that fibers from the first diffusion media extend through the first coating and provide an electrical flow path through the first coating from the cathode-side bipolar plate to the first diffusion media; positioning a second porous diffusion media adjacent to the anode-side bipolar plate so that fibers from the second diffusion media extend through the second coating and provide an electrical flow path through the second coating from the anode-side bipolar plate to the second diffusion media; positioning the cathode-side bipolar plate and the first porous diffusion media on one side of a membrane-electrode assembly and the anode-side bipolar plate and the second porous diffusion media on the opposite side of the membrane-electrode assembly to form a fuel cell. - View Dependent Claims (7)
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Specification