Silicone seal for bipolar plates in a PEM fuel cell
US7686854B2 · kind B2 · utility
Assignee
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | Jun 25, 2004 |
| Grant date | Mar 30, 2010 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Jun 25, 2024 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC Y)Emerging Cross-Sectional Technologies
- CPC primaryY10T29/53135
- WIPO fieldElectrical machinery, apparatus, energy
- WIPO sectorElectrical engineering
Abstract
Seal means for sealing a bipolar plate to a membrane in a PEM fuel cell stack. The seal includes a thin layer of a cross-linkable silicone composition disposed between the bipolar plate and the membrane. The layer is applied as a liquid to either the plate or the membrane and preferably is polymerized prior to assembly of the stack. A preferred means for applying the composition to the bipolar plate is screen printing. Preferably, the layer has a thickness between 0.001 and 0.005 inch. The resulting fuel cell stack exhibits superior leak resistance. In a currently preferred embodiment, a layer of the silicone composition is provided at interfaces between a membrane and both an anode side and a cathode side of a bipolar plate.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.