Development of epoxy-based composite coatings for PEMFC SS BPP: screening of conductive fillers and Stamping methods

Abstract This work aims at investigating conductive polymer composites as potential coatings for bipolar plates (BPPs) to be used for PEM fuel cells (PEMFC). Various conductive fillers, including Ni-coated graphite, CrN, Monel, CuNi 3 Si, Cu, and TiN were screened for conductivity. The most promising fillers were blended with epoxy resin stable under relevant testing conditions. The performance of the coatings was evaluated by means of ex-situ testing and characterisation (conductivity, interfacial contact resistance, SEM). A parameter study was carried out deploying the filler with the highest conductivity to optimise the coatings interfacial contact resistance. To demonstrate the potential of the proposed coating approach for high throughput processes the post-stamping process of the cured coatings was shown. Finally, a cost analysis based on bill of material (BoM) has been performed to benchmark the materials’ cost against other standard coating solutions, such as gold coating. Results show that for the first time, dense polymer-based coatings with high conductivity, low cost, and upscaling potential, and therefore broad applicability have been fabricated.