Metal-coated polycarbonate monopolar plates for portable fuel cells

For portable applications of polymer electrolyte fuel cells (PEFCs), multilayer metal-coated polycarbonate (PC) monopolar plates were developed as both an anode and a cathode plate using electroless plating and electroplating methods. The multilayer is composed of electroless-plated 10-μm thick copper, electroplated 40-μm thick copper, electroplated 1-μm thick nickel and electroplated100-nm of gold layer to ensure good adhesion, high conductivity, corrosion resistance and low cost. Through selective plating on PC plates, air-breathing stacks using PC monopolar structure was easily assembled without additional current collector parts. Planar stack was demonstrated with PC plates to obtain the OCV and maximum power of the stack at 2.85 V and 7.18 W, respectively.

► Plannar air-breathing PEMFC stack was developed with multilayer metal-coated polycarbonate monopolar plates. ► Metal coating layers consist of copper, nickel and gold via electroless and electrolytic plating. ► OCV and maximum power of the stack was 2.85 V and 7.18 W, respectively.