This Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase I project will demonstrate the applicability of a novel approach to produce low cost, high conductivity, and ultralight bipolar plates for fuel cell applications. An innovative approach to produce conductive polymers will provide conductivities comparable to currently used graphite bipolar plates. The fabrication technology of such a conductive polymer will be investigated to produce net shape bipolar plates, thus eliminating the exceedingly expensive machining of graphite plates. The conductive polymer bipolar plates will be fully characterized and evaluated in single cell configurations for electrochemical stability, resistivity, and gas diffusion. The overall concept will be assessed for both technical performance and cost for possible further development in Phase II. Conductive polymers could offer a significant performance and cost advantage to fuel cell technologies, such as may be required in the electric-car Next Generation Vehicle. Net shape conductive polymer bipolar plates could be produced for this and many other commercial fuel cell applications.
