TEXTURED FUEL CELL COMPONENTS FOR IMPROVED WATER MANAGEMENT

• Main Authors: WILKOSZ Daniel E, RICKETTS Mark Stephen, GATH Kerrie K
• Format: Patent
• Language: English
• Published: 08.02.2018
• Subjects: BASIC ELECTRIC ELEMENTS; CHEMICAL SURFACE TREATMENT; CHEMISTRY; CLADDING OR PLATING BY SOLDERING OR WELDING; COATING BY VACUUM EVAPORATION, BY SPUTTERING, BY ION IMPLANTATIONOR BY CHEMICAL VAPOUR DEPOSITION, IN GENERAL; COATING MATERIAL WITH METALLIC MATERIAL; COATING METALLIC MATERIAL; CUTTING BY APPLYING HEAT LOCALLY, e.g. FLAME CUTTING; DIFFUSION TREATMENT OF METALLIC MATERIAL; ELECTRICITY; INHIBITING CORROSION OF METALLIC MATERIAL OR INCRUSTATION INGENERAL; MACHINE TOOLS; METAL-WORKING NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR; METALLURGY; MULTI-STEP PROCESSES FOR SURFACE TREATMENT OF METALLICMATERIAL INVOLVING AT LEAST ONE PROCESS PROVIDED FOR IN CLASSC23 AND AT LEAST ONEPROCESS COVERED BY SUBCLASS C21D OR C22F OR CLASS C25; NON-MECHANICAL REMOVAL OF METALLIC MATERIAL FROM SURFACE; PERFORMING OPERATIONS; PROCESSES OR MEANS, e.g. BATTERIES, FOR THE DIRECT CONVERSIONOF CHEMICAL INTO ELECTRICAL ENERGY; SOLDERING OR UNSOLDERING; TRANSPORTING; WELDING; WORKING BY LASER BEAM

A fuel-cell stack including treated bipolar plates is disclosed, as well as methods of treatment. The bipolar plates may include an active region wherein a fuel-cell reaction is configured to occur and an inactive region configured to supply, collect, and remove fluids from the active region. The inactive region may include one or more exit vias defined by the bipolar plate and having an inner surface configured to contact fluids received from the active region. At least a portion of the inner surface may have a hydrophobic textured surface. The methods may include treating a metal inner surface of an exit via defined in an inactive region of a fuel-cell bipolar plate that is configured to contact fluids received from an active region of the fuel-cell bipolar plate. The treatment may include removing material to form a hydrophobic textured surface on at least a portion of the inner surface.