Superhydrophilic, nanoporous, electrically conductive coatings for PEM fuel cells

摘要

A flow field plate or bipolar plate for a fuel cell includes a conductive coating having formed nanopores that render the coating hydrophilic. Any suitable process can be used to form the nanopores in the coating. One process involves simultaneously depositing a conductive material and a relatively unstable element on the plate and then subsequently dissolving the element to remove it from the coating and create the nanopores. Another process involves the use of low energy ion beams for ion beam lithography to make the nanopores.