Research progress of bipolar plate materials and flow field for fuel cells

LENG Qiao-hui， MA Li， WEN Dong-hui， LU Cong-da， PAN Guo-qing
（Key Laboratory of Mechanical Manufacture and Automation， Ministry of Education，
Zhejiang University of Technology， Hangzhou 310014， China）

Abstract： The fuel cells are a promising candidate as a zero-emission power source for transport and stationary concentration applications due to its high efficiency，low-temperature operation，high power density and fast start-up. Bipolar plate is the vital component of fuel cells，which not only influents the performance of fuel cells，but also affect the cost of fuel cells. However，high cost is one of the biggest obstade to validate fuel cell technology. Aiming at how to reduce the cost of production，weight and volume of the fuel cell stack and design optimal flow channel，materials of bipolar plate were reviewed，and the features of materials were analyzed. Meanwhile，flow-field forms of bipolar plate were discussed and their advantages and disadvantages were also compared. In addition，some modified and new-type flow fields were also introduced，which provided a reference for research and design of the fuel cells.
Key words： bipolar plate； fuel cells； materials； flow field； reseach progress