EFFECTS OF MOLDING CONDITIONS ON THE CONDUCTIVITY PROPERTIES OF INJECTION MOLDED BIPOLAR PLATE USED FOR FUEL CELL

摘要

Fuel cell is an important energy source for the 21st century. Among fuel cell components, plastics have been chosen as a candidate material for bipolar plates which needs to fulfill the conductivity requirement. In this study, polymer polyphenylene sulfide (PPS) containing 50% carbon fiber was in injection molded and its conductivity was measured by the four point probe. The carbon fiber dispersion and orientation were examined by scanning electron microscopy (SEM). It was found that at high mold temperature, high melt temperature and lower injection rate, the carbon fiber distributed more uniformly leading to higher conductivity. High holding pressure closely tangled the carbon fiber, also increases conductivity. 3D-CAE simulations were also conducted to verify fiber dispersion and orientation under different molding parameters and show reasonable consistency.