Recent progress of porous metal filed in bipolar plate

Abstract

Porous metal is a material that combines both structural and functional properties. It is widely used in various fields due to its low density, high porosity and controlled permeability. In this paper, the application progress of porous metal on the flow field of bipolar plates in proton exchange membrane fuel cell (PEMFC) was reviewed. Compared with the traditional flow channel, the high open porosity (>70%) porous metal has three-dimensional structure connected with each other, which can increase the uniformity of gas distribution, enhance gas mass transfer, enhance electron/heat conduction and water discharge, so eventually improve battery performance. In addition, the effects of porous metal parameters, flow field structure design, service parameters and materials on porous metal flow field in PEMFC applications were explored. At present, the biggest problem that hinders the application of porous metal in PEMFC is corrosion, and more challenges must be faced on the coating preparation process for the complex internal structure of porous metal. Therefore, how to effectively solve the corrosion problem of porous metal in PEMFC environment, which have great significance to promote the application of porous metal in fuel cell field.

Keywords

• porous metal flow filed
• bipolar plate
• hydrogen fuel cell
• corrosion resistance