Abstract
Graphite is an excellent material for bipolar plates used in Proton Exchange Membrane (PEM) fuel cell due to its great chemical resistance, but the brittle nature makes it difficult to manufacture. Selective Laser Sintering (SLS) based on layer-by-layer manufacturing technology can fabricate graphite bipolar plates with complex gas flow channels. To improve the performance of bipolar plates including electrical conductivity and flexural strength, different graphite materials (natural graphite, synthetic graphite, carbon black, and carbon fiber) were investigated to fabricate test samples. These samples then went through post processing including carbonization and infiltration. The results show that bipolar plates with electrical conductivity of 380 S/cm and flexural strength of 40 MPa are obtained from proper combinations of natural graphite and carbon fiber, which are higher than the target values set by the Department of Energy.
Recommended Citation
N. Guo and M. Leu, "Effect of Different Graphite Materials on Electrical Conductivity and Flexural Strength of Bipolar Plates Fabricated by Selective Laser Sintering," Proceedings of the 21st Annual International Solid Freeform Fabrication Symposium (2010, Austin, TX), pp. 482 - 492, University of Texas at Austin, Aug 2010.
Meeting Name
21st Annual International Solid Freeform Fabrication Symposium -- An Additive Manufacturing Conference (2010: Aug. 9-11, Austin, TX)
Department(s)
Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering
Document Type
Article - Conference proceedings
Document Version
Final Version
File Type
text
Language(s)
English
Publication Date
11 Aug 2010
Comments
This project is supported by Air Force Research Laboratory under contract #FA8650-04-C-5704.