Metal Additive Manufacturing of PEM Fuel Cell Flow Field Plates and the Scope of Nanomaterials for Its Fabrication

Abstract

The function of flow field plates (FFPs) is incredibly high in the polymer electrolyte membrane (PEM) fuel cell operation. The limitations with the existing FFP materials (graphite) and the conventional fabrication process makes FFP an expensive candidate, which predominantly hinders the cost and weight target of the United States Department of Energy (US DoE). Indeed, this can subsequently impede the commercialization of the PEM fuel cell systems. Metal-based FFP is gaining substantial attention as a viable alternative to conventional technology. Ironically, machining the metal plates is a complicated process and involves a lot of material wastage. Additive manufacturing (AM) is a potential process to fabricate FFP with minimal material wastage and relatively reduced cost. The present work focuses on assessing the metal FFPs and their fabrication using AM technology. In addition, emphasis is on the scope of nanomaterials to fabricate FFP to deliver a high-power density PEM fuel cell stack. © 2023 Wiley-VCH GmbH, Boschstr. 12, 69469 Weinheim, Germany.