Process for producing a distributor plate for an electrochemical system and distributor plate for an electrochemical system

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10497945-B2
Application number	US-201715583349-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	May 1, 2017
Priority date	May 2, 2016
Publication date	Dec 3, 2019
Grant date	Dec 3, 2019

Abstract

A process ( 30 ) for producing a distributor plate ( 1 ) for an electrochemical system, wherein the distributor plate ( 1 ) has at least one metal foil ( 2 ) having a first surface ( 3 ) and a second surface ( 4 ) and the process ( 30 ) has the following process steps:
a) pretreatment ( 31 ) of the metal foil ( 2 ); b) mask formation ( 32 ) at least on the first surface ( 3 ) of the pretreated metal foil ( 2 ); c) structure formation ( 33 ) at least on the first surface ( 3 ) of the metal foil ( 2 ) provided with the mask ( 10 ), as a result of which a first fluid distributor structure ( 5 ) is formed; d) mask removal ( 36 ).

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A process ( 30 ) for producing a distributor plate ( 1 ) for an electrochemical system, wherein the distributor plate ( 1 ) has at least one metal foil ( 2 ) having a first surface ( 3 ) and a second surface ( 4 ), the process ( 30 ) comprising the following process steps:
a) pretreatment ( 31 ) of the metal foil ( 2 );
b) mask formation ( 32 ) at least on the first surface ( 3 ) of the pretreated metal foil ( 2 );
c) structure formation ( 33 ) via electrochemical coating or wet-chemical or electrochemical etching at least on the first surface ( 3 ) of the metal foil ( 2 ) provided with the mask ( 10 ), as a result of which a raised first fluid distributor structure ( 5 ) is formed having a cylindrical or pseudocircular cylindrical shape; and
d) mask removal ( 36 ).

2. The process ( 30 ) according to claim 1 , characterized in that a second fluid distributor structure ( 6 ) is formed by the structure formation ( 33 ) on the second surface ( 4 ) of the metal foil ( 2 ).

3. The process ( 30 ) according to claim 1 , characterized in that the pretreatment ( 31 ) of the metal foil includes chemical or electrochemical cleaning or degreasing.

4. The process ( 30 ) according to claim 1 , characterized in that lithography or a prefabricated mask ( 10 ) is used in a band plant ( 20 ) for mask formation ( 32 ).

5. The process ( 30 ) according to claim 1 , characterized in that the structure formation ( 33 ) is effected by electrochemical coating ( 34 ) or wet-chemical or electrochemical etching ( 35 ), with the structure formation ( 33 ) being effected by electrochemical coating ( 34 ) or wet-chemical or electrochemical etching ( 35 ) in the band plant ( 20 ).

6. The process according to claim 1 , further including the step of structure formation via electrochemical coating or wet-chemical or electrochemical etching on the second surface of the metal foil, as a result of which a second fluid distributor structure is formed.

7. The process according to claim 1 , wherein the distributor plate ( 1 ) has a thickness (D) of from 10 μm to 1000 μm.

8. The process according to claim 6 , wherein the distributor plate ( 1 ) has a thickness (D) of from 100 μm to 200 μm,
with the first fluid distributor structure ( 5 ) having a height (H) or depth (T) relative to the first surface ( 3 ) of the metal foil ( 2 ) of from 0.1 μm to 100 μm, and
with the second fluid distributor structure ( 6 ) having a height (H) or depth (T) relative to the second surface ( 4 ) of the metal foil ( 2 ) of from 0.1 μm to 100 μm.

9. The process according to claim 6 , wherein the distributor plate ( 1 ) has a thickness (D) of from 100 μm to 200 μm,
with the first fluid distributor structure ( 5 ) having a height (H) or depth (T) relative to the first surface ( 3 ) of the metal foil ( 2 ) of from 1 μm to 10 μm, and
with the second fluid distributor structure ( 6 ) having a height (H) or depth (T) relative to the second surface ( 4 ) of the metal foil ( 2 ) of from 1 μm to 10 μm.

Assignees

• Bosch Gmbh Robert

Inventors

• Weeber Kai
• Hippchen Silvan

Classifications

• H01M8/0206

  Metals or alloys · CPC title

• C25D5/34

  Pretreatment of metallic surfaces to be electroplated · CPC title

• C25D5/022

  using masking means · CPC title

• H01M8/0258

  characterised by the configuration of channels, e.g. by the flow field of the reactant or coolant · CPC title

• H01M8/0267

  having heating or cooling means, e.g. heaters or coolant flow channels · CPC title