Cell Impact signs collaboration agreement with Impact Coatings on surface treatment of fuel cell plates
24 October 2016
Morphic Technologies’ subsidiary, Cell Impact, signed a collaboration agreement with PVD surface coating company Impact Coatings AB concerning new types of surface treatment material for fuel cell flow plates. The arrangement will add coatings from Impact Coatings to the products on offer.
Cell Impact’s main operation involves the cost-effective production of flow plates, one of the key components in a fuel cell system. The flow plates are responsible for a large proportion of the costs and their ability effectively to conduct the fuel into the fuel cell is absolutely critical for the entire system’s ability to generate electricity.
The collaboration with Impact Coatings is intended to offer completely new surface treatment materials that will lower production costs, improve performance and increase efficiency. The development is being run as a collaborative venture between Cell Impact, Impact Coatings, SP Technical Research Institute of Sweden and the University of Uppsala.
The outer layer of the flow plates plays a major role in the durability and effectiveness of the entire system. By protecting the flow plates from the corrosion that the acid environment within the fuel cell would otherwise lead to, different metals and ceramic coatings can extend the life of the fuel cell.
To date, the surface coating has primarily been made of various types of precious metals. Impact Coatings has developed a technology that makes it possible to replace the precious metals with other materials, which will reduce the cost of the surface coating by up to 90% without the efficiency of the flow plate being affected.
Comments