Nano carbon/fluoroelastomer composite bipolar plate for a vanadium redox flow battery (VRFB)

In this study, a nano carbon/fluoroelastomer composite bipolar plate was developed to substitute for the conventional thick graphite bipolar plate. The 'soft-layer method' was adopted to expose the carbon fibers on the surface of the composite to increase its electrical conductivity. The solution casting method was applied to fabricate the high fiber volume fraction composite structure with a dispersion of carbon black. The performance of the carbon/fluoroelastomer composite bipolar plate was evaluated by testing the permeability, mechanical properties, and electrical properties. Finally, unit-cell charge/discharge tests were conducted to verify the performance of the composite bipolar plate.