Fuel cell component having a flap extending from a polymer impregnated region

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10003090-B2
Application number	US-201314766995-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Feb 19, 2013
Priority date	Feb 19, 2013
Publication date	Jun 19, 2018
Grant date	Jun 19, 2018

Abstract

According to an example embodiment, a method of making a fuel cell component includes permeating at least a portion of a component layer with a polymer. The portion of the component layer is adjacent an edge of the component layer. Some of the polymer is allowed to extend beyond the edge to thereby establish a flap beyond the edge of the component layer. A fuel cell component includes a component layer having a portion adjacent an edge of the layer that is impregnated with a polymer material and a flap of the polymer material extending beyond the edge.

First claim

We claim:

1. A method of making a fuel cell component, comprising the steps of:
permeating at least a portion of a component layer with a polymer by
applying a first pressure to the polymer and component layer while heating the polymer until a temperature of at least the polymer reaches a melting temperature of the polymer; and
applying a second, greater pressure to the polymer and component layer while increasing a temperature of at least the polymer to a second temperature above the melting temperature of the polymer, wherein the portion is adjacent an edge of the component layer; and
allowing some of the polymer to extend beyond the edge to thereby establish a flap beyond the edge of the component layer.

2. The method of claim 1 , comprising
shaping the polymer extending beyond the edge into a selected flap geometry.

3. The method of claim 2 , wherein the shaping comprises
machining the polymer extending beyond the edge to selectively remove at least some of the polymer.

4. The method of claim 2 , wherein the shaping comprises
providing a mold cavity near the edge of the component layer; and
allowing the polymer extending beyond the edge to fill the cavity during a molding process.

5. The method of claim 2 , wherein
the component layer has a first thickness;
the selected flap geometry includes a flap length extending in a direction away from the edge and a second, flap thickness in a direction transverse to the length.

6. The method of claim 5 , wherein the second thickness is smaller than the first thickness.

7. The method of claim 2 , wherein the selected flap geometry includes a generally rectangular cross section.

8. The method of claim 1 , wherein the polymer is chemically resistant to phosphoric acid.

9. A fuel cell component, comprising a component layer having a portion adjacent an edge of the layer that is impregnated with a polymer material and a flap of the polymer material extending beyond the edge
wherein
the fuel cell component is made by a process comprising
applying a first pressure to the polymer and component layer while heating the polymer until a temperature of at least the polymer reaches a melting temperature of the polymer; and
applying a second, greater pressure to the polymer and component layer while increasing a temperature of at least the polymer to a second temperature above the melting temperature of the polymer; and
allowing some of the polymer to extend beyond the edge to thereby establish the flap.

10. The fuel cell component of claim 9 , wherein the component layer has a first thickness and the flap has a second thickness.

11. The fuel cell component of claim 10 , wherein the second thickness is smaller than the first thickness.

12. The fuel cell component of claim 9 , wherein the polymer material comprises a high melt flow polymer that is non-wetting and thermally stable below a temperature of approximately 220° C.

13. The fuel cell component of claim 11 , wherein the component layer comprises a porous graphitized substrate.

14. The fuel cell component of claim 11 , wherein the component comprises at least one of an electrode or a gas diffusion layer.

15. The fuel cell component of claim 9 , wherein the polymer is chemically resistant to phosphoric acid.

16. The fuel cell component of claim 9 , wherein the flap has a selected geometry including a flap length extending in a direction away from the edge and a flap thickness in a direction transverse to the flap length.

17. The fuel cell component of claim 16 , wherein the flap length is at least about twice the flap thickness.

18. The fuel cell component of claim 16 , wherein the selected flap geometry includes a generally rectangular cross section.

Assignees

• Doosan Fuel Cell America Inc

Inventors

• Osepowicz Nicholas Edward
• Khandelwal Manish
• Kanuri Sridhar V

Classifications

• H01M8/0234

  Carbonaceous material · CPC title

• H01M8/086

  Phosphoric acid fuel cells [PAFC] · CPC title

• H01M8/0286

  Processes for forming seals · CPC title

• H01M8/0284

  Organic resins; Organic polymers · CPC title

• H01M8/0273 Primary

  with sealing or supporting means in the form of a frame · CPC title