December 2004

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FLORENCE, KY/KELSTERBACH, GERMANY - Cost reductions of at least 50% are claimed for a new PEM fuel cell prototype made entirely of plastics by a maker of engineering thermoplastics.

Ticona, the technical polymers manufacturing arm of Celanese Corp., reports it has built a 17-cell PEM prototype constructed of injected-molded bipolar plates made of Vectra® liquid crystal polymer (LCP) and end plates made of Fortron® polyphenylene sulfide (PPS).

The new materials are said to cut the per-kW costs for the stack to about $1,050 (Euro790), compared to what Ticona says are as much as $4,000 (Euro 3,000) for conventional stacks using aluminum, gold-coated stainless steel, graphite or thermoset-graphite blends. The company says the use of injection-molded thermoplastic components represents a significant step towards meeting the European Union target costs of $665 (Europe 500) per kilowatt by 2010 for 2 kW residential units.

“By lowering fuel cell costs to Euro 790 per kilowatt, our prototype will help accelerate the evolution of fuel cells for autos, homes and mobile equipment,” Ticona’s release quotes the company manager for market development, Frank Reil, as saying.

The Vectra bipolar plates contain 85% powdered carbon. They were molded by SGL Carbon, the world’s largest producer of carbon and graphite products, according to the release. With a cycle time of just 30 seconds, these plates can be produced in volume without the labor- and cost-intensive machining and other finishing steps needed to form their intricate channels when other materials are used.

Ticona’s stack made of engineering plastics.

Both of these polymers are claimed to have excellent long-term performance because they can withstand the aggressive media found in fuel cells and remain dimensionally stable, even at temperatures as high as 200 deg. C., the company said.

Additionally, Fortron PPS can also be used in peripheral components to reduce costs further, as can other polymers such as Celcon® acetal copolymer. These resins resist aggressive substances and offer other properties needed in pumps, compressors and related components that move gases and fluids into and away from fuel cells.

The company provided these details in its release:

• Gases used: Bottled hydrogen and air
• Number of cells: 17-External dimensions: 150 x 150 x 200 mm
• Humidification: cathode is humidified; anode is not humidified
• Output: Electrical 320 watt; Thermal 360 watt - Current: Up to 40 amp
• Voltage: No load 16 volt; under load 8 volt
• Operating temperature: 60°CMaterials
• Bipolar plate: Vectra® LCP D950 + graphite (molded by SGL Carbon)
• End plate: Fortron® PPS 1140 L0 (manufactured by Ensinger)
• Membranes: Umicore
• System: Magnum

Contact: Ticona, phone 1-800-833-4882; e-mail prodinfo@ticona.com; Europe: Ticona GmbH, 049/693-051-6299; e-mail infoservice@ticona.de.