Combined Metals offers stainless steel, nickel-based alloys, and titanium for fuel cells and electrolyzers.
We Provide Alloys for Bi-Polar Plates for Fuel Cells & Electrolyzers
Fuel Cells are electromechanical devices that generate and store electrical power. These cells are used in a wide variety of applications, including: Trucks, Trains, Battery Backup Systems, Boats, Subs, Cars, and Material Handling Equipment. Fuel cells are now available for home heating, cooling and electricity.
How Does a Fuel Cell Work?
Most fuel cells are fueled by Hydrogen and air, with water as by-product / exhaust. The airflow to create the reaction is usually over wide width anodic and cathodic “bi-polar plates”. Usually, these plates are flat or mildly formed metallics. Some of the low temp PEM fuel cells will use polymers instead of metals. Each type of fuel cell is designed for a specific application and/or operating conditions.
Common Types of Fuel Cells:
- PEM (Proton Exchange Membrane)
- Alkaline, SOFC (Solid Oxide Fuel Cell)
- Phosphoric Acid
- Molten Carbonate Fuel Cell (uncommon)
Closely related to fuel cells are Electrolyzers. These utilize the same mechanism but work in reverse, harvesting Hydrogen from water.
Grades & Alloys For Fuel Cells:
Many fuel cell manufacturers utilize 300 series stainless steels with 316L as the most common choice. Richer grades of Stainless (309, 310) or nickel-based alloys are specified for fuel cells with higher temperature operating systems, such as SOFC’s and MCFC. Titanium is the common alloy for Electrolyzers. Combined Metals companies offer them all.
Finish & Features:
We understand that finish and flatness are critical features for Fuel Cell manufacturers. We precision grind our rolls in-house to ensure the best finish and tension level your strip for optimal flatness. Our alloys are available from .0008″ and widths up to a meter wide. For microcells using narrower widths, we can slit down to .024″ wide. For More Information or a Quote:
