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Description
The CORE project''s main aim is to support economic decarbonisation by utilizing green hydrogen as an energy carrier. The spot is on the fuel cells and water electrolysis as main technologies in allowing green energy conversion. The main target is to develop ground-breaking coatings for cost-effective and high-performance key components (bipolar plates) of the fuel cells and water electrolysers stacks. These components are used to collect and conduct electric current and heat in-between single cells of the stack, separate them from each other and at the same time to distribute gases and fluids. Currently, they represent up to 80 % of the weight and about 30 % of the cost of the entire stack assembly and thus represent essential components to be considered in reducing the cost and increasing the lifetime of water electrolysers and fuel cells stack. The CORE project aims to use an innovative filler manipulation technique based on the combination of the low-cost base material of the plate and the application of protective polymer-based layers on the surface. The proposed approach is simple but effective in solving the problem in terms of cost and performance optimization. The proposed approach can easily be upscaled and has the potential to quickly become an industrial solution for the fabrication of these key components.
The collaboration of the three partners involved (one from the Czech Republic and two from Norway) is key for the achievement of the project goals. The Norwegian partner CondAlign AS is in charge of fabrication of conductive films to be deposited on the plates. The other Norwegian partner SINTEF assists CondAlign in the achievement of properly coated plates and performs initial tests to ensure required coating quality. Finally, the expertise of the coordinator, UCT Prague, in testing and characterization of resulting electrochemical cells will be crucial to assess the feasibility of the implementation of the main idea behind the industrial scale.
Summary of project results
The project aimed to address the need for durable and efficient bipolar plates (BPs) in energy conversion devices with polymer exchange membranes (PEM). The main challenges included developing a ground.breaking corrosion-resistant coating for cost effective and metallic BPs and optimizing their design for improved performance when used f.e. in fuel cells or electrolysers.
The project involved developing a novel polymer coating with aligned conductive particles for metallic BPs. This included:
- Researching and testing an extensive set of materials in order to select suitable coating materials
- Developing processes for coating preparation
- Producing and characterizing coated samples
- Developing a mathematical model to optimize BP design
- Conducting techno-economic analysis
The outputs included functional samples, a utility sample, a patent application, scientific publications, and conference presentations.
The project successfully developed durable coatings with aligned conductive particles for metallic BPs. An optimized geometry for flow field channels in BPs was proposed. The results broadened the knowledge about PEM fuel cells with metallic BPs, potentially leading to commercialization. The project also produced publications, a patent application, and functional samples. Beneficiaries include researchers, industry partners (e.g. CondAlign), and potentially the wider energy sector. The results are already used by project partners and community, both freely and commercialy.
Summary of bilateral results
The bilateral collaboration has opened a new research field, facilitating the sharing of expertise and creating pathways for future training and exchanges, while building long-term contacts and enhancing potential collaborations. Further cooperation is already in progress, with one project submitted at the EU level and strong interest in exploring additional high-potential initiatives.