Conventional Composites
Inefficient energy dissipation
ZRT® Bipolar Plates
Long-term durability: Non-metallic composition eliminates the risk of corrosion and metal contamination of the fuel cell stack, which lead to premature degradation and failure
Industry-leading electrical performance: Lowest areal specific resistance (ASR) for a non-metallic bipolar plate (<10 mOhm-cm2)
Weight reduction: Thin wall thickness (<0.3 mm) without porosity coupled with low density (1.5 g/cc) enables a 60% component weight reduction compared to stainless steel bipolar plates
Drop-in integration: 1-for-1 substitution in metallic bipolar plate-based fuel cell stack designs
Fast & low-cost design iterations: Nature of manufacturing process enables first article procurement within 5 weeks; possible to use “soft” tooling for rapid design iterations without the cost of cutting “hard” tooling; bipolar plate material selection no longer influences flow field development
This product is the first non-metallic bipolar plate that can be formed into the exact same geometry as conventional stamped metallic bipolar plates.
This enables 1-for-1 substitution in metallic bipolar plate-based fuel cell stack designs, with the added benefits of eliminating metal ion contamination from corrosion and 60% reduction in component weight.
High-purity carbon fibers are vertically aligned using Boston Materials’ patented Z-axis Fiber™ technology and embedded within an engineered thermoplastic matrix. This material is then stamped into half plates, which are then bonded together to yield a bipolar plate.
Boston Materials has overcome the fundamental material and processing challenges with forming thin walled, thermally and electrically conductive, non-metallic components.
Frequently Asked Questions
Boston Materials is actively developing a reference bipolar plate design with stack-level performance characteristics. This data will be published in the future.
No – Boston Materials only sells fully-bonded bipolar plates (and half plates, in certain cases). The raw materials used to produce ZRT® Bipolar Plates are not sold.
Boston Materials prioritizes programs related to the continuous improvement of fuel cell stacks already in production, and new generation designs that target heavy-duty vehicle applications.
Interested parties will need facilities to perform full-stack testing and plate-level characterizations (ASR, leak check, deflection under compression, etc.)
Haven’t Found What You Are Looking For?
Patented Z-axis Fiber™ Technology
Boston Materials uses vertically aligned carbon fiber to create materials with optimal energy transfer
properties – including thermal, electrical, and mechanical
properties – including thermal, electrical, and mechanical
Boston Materials Z-Axis Fiber™
Highly efficient energy dissipation
Empowering Industries
with Z-axis FiberTM
Solving key problems relating to thermal management,
electrification, and lightweighting across high-growth industries
Semiconductors
Hot AI race needs cool chips
Electrified Vehicles
Journey to 100% electrification
Aerospace
Sky-high expectations for airplanes
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