Rolling pre-forming process of graphite composite bipolar plate

Zicong ZHANG, Junsheng ZHENG, Dongmei YAO, Xiaomin MENG, Chengxin LI, Pingwen MING

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PDF(4087 KB)
Journal of Materials Engineering ›› 2025, Vol. 53 ›› Issue (6) : 210-217. DOI: 10.11868/j.issn.1001-4381.2024.000580
RESEARCH ARTICLE

Rolling pre-forming process of graphite composite bipolar plate

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Abstract

Graphite composite bipolar plates have received widespread attention in the field of fuel cells due to their excellent conductivity and corrosion resistance. The traditional method of molding graphite composite bipolar plates has problems such as low efficiency and complex operation. Therefore, this study proposes a preform process scheme that simplifies the process operation and improves efficiency by rolling graphite/resin mixed powder into a pre-compress plate through a rolling machine and then rapidly molding it. By optimizing the rolling parameters and adding auxiliary binders, the problems of insufficient compaction and structural defects in the pre-compress plate are solved, improving the reliability of the process and material utilization rate. The results show that increasing the temperature and reducing the roll distance can both improve the compaction density of the pre-compress plate. Adding PTFE as an auxiliary binder can effectively improve the defects during the rolling process, but excessive addition can have a negative impact on conductivity and airtightness. The optimal addition ratio is 5% (mass fraction). Compared with traditional direct compression molding, the bipolar plate prepared by this scheme has a slight decrease in in-plane conductivity, but its bending strength is increased by 14.2% and the preparation cycle is shortened to 42.9%, significantly improving production efficiency.

Key words

graphite composite bipolar plate / roll pressing / process parameter / efficiency

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Zicong ZHANG , Junsheng ZHENG , Dongmei YAO , et al . Rolling pre-forming process of graphite composite bipolar plate. Journal of Materials Engineering. 2025, 53(6): 210-217 https://doi.org/10.11868/j.issn.1001-4381.2024.000580

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