Systems and methods are provided for mechanical pretreatment of bipolar plates, for example, for plating electrodes in redox flow batteries. In one example, a method for disrupting surfaces of a bipolar plate may include pressing the bipolar plate between imprint plates, and removing the pressed bipolar plate from the imprint plates prior to use in a redox flow battery. In some examples, the pressed bipolar plate may include negative indentations from at least one of the imprint plates. In some examples, the imprint plates may be patterned meshes, such that the negative indentations may include patterns of asymmetric protrusions. In this way, the bipolar plate may be pretreated via pressing so as to reduce wear to manufacturing equipment (relative to other mechanical pretreatment processes, for example) while maintaining electrochemical performance of the redox flow battery.

This disclosure relates to a bipolar plate electrode assembly of a fuel cell or of an electrolysis device comprising a stack of expanded metal layers arranged layerwise that form a gas diffusion electrode and a bipolar plate, wherein the stack is limited in the direction of the stack at least at one end by an outer expanded metal layer, wherein the outer expanded metal layer is areally materially bonded to the bipolar plate, characterized in that the outer expanded metal layer is made of two parts and comprises an expanded metal element as well as a metal insert inserted into the expanded metal element and materially bonded to the expanded metal element, wherein the outer expanded metal layer is materially bonded to the bipolar plate solely in the region of the metal insert.

The invention relates to a method for depositing a carbon-based material from a target onto a metal substrate, by ion-assisted cathode sputtering.

According to the invention, the ratio between the flow of ions that is directed toward the substrate and the flow of neutral carbon atoms that is directed toward the substrate is adjusted to between 1.7 and 3.5; and a bias voltage of between 35 V and 100 V is applied to the substrate.

A hybrid, porous transport electrode with increased efficiency, durability and catalyst utilization includes a first support porous layer and a second intermediate porous layer including fibers and non-defined shaped particles of a conductive material, a mean particle size decreasing from layer to layer from a bipolar plate towards a membrane. Said first porous layer is made from sintered fibers of the conductive material and the second layer is made from non-defined shaped particles of a conductive material, said first porous layer having a contact surface oriented towards the bipolar plate having a bigger pore size than the second porous layer having a contact surface oriented towards the membrane. An electrochemically active top layer includes an electrochemically active material or mixtures thereof on the second porous layer, the top layer having a contact surface oriented towards the membrane and smaller pore size than the second and first layers.

Systems and methods are provided for mechanical pretreatment of bipolar plates, for example, for plating electrodes in redox flow batteries. In one example, a method for disrupting surfaces of a bipolar plate may include pressing the bipolar plate between imprint plates, and removing the pressed bipolar plate from the imprint plates prior to use in a redox flow battery. In some examples, the pressed bipolar plate may include negative indentations from at least one of the imprint plates. In some examples, the imprint plates may be patterned meshes, such that the negative indentations may include patterns of asymmetric protrusions. In this way, the bipolar plate may be pretreated via pressing so as to reduce wear to manufacturing equipment (relative to other mechanical pretreatment processes, for example) while maintaining electrochemical performance of the redox flow battery.

The performance of a bipolar type metal air battery is improved while a low environmental load is maintained. The bipolar type metal air battery includes a plurality of cells including air electrodes composed of a co-continuous component having a 3D network structure in which a plurality of nanostructures are integrated by non-covalent bonds, negative electrodes, and an electrolyte disposed between the air electrode and the negative electrode, and a current collector disposed between the plurality of cells, and the plurality of cells are electrically connected in series, and the current collector is in close contact with the negative electrode using a biodegradable material.

An electrochemical cell includes a pair of bipolar plates and a membrane electrode assembly between the bipolar plates. The membrane electrode assembly comprises an anode compartment, a cathode compartment, and a proton exchange membrane disposed therebetween. The cell further includes a sealing surface formed in one of the pair of bipolar plates and a gasket located between the sealing surface and the proton exchange membrane. The gasket is configured to plastically deform to create a seal about one of the cathode compartment or the anode compartment. The sealing surface can include one or more protrusions.

The invention relates to a layer system (1) for coating of a substrate (2a) to form an electrode plate (2), comprising at least one coating (1a) of metal oxide, wherein the coating (1a) includes a homogeneous polycrystalline doped indium tin oxide layer, atop which is a polycrystalline doped indium tin oxide layer composed of a network of nanofibers (6), wherein the indium tin oxide is doped with at least one element from the group comprising carbon, nitrogen, boron, fluorine, hydrogen, phosphorus, sulfur, chlorine, bromine, aluminium, silicon, titanium, chromium, cobalt, nickel, copper, zirconium, niobium, molybdenum, silver, antimony, hafnium, tantalum, tungsten. The invention further relates to an electrode plate comprising such a layer system, to a process for production thereof, and to a fuel cell, an electrolyzer or a redox flow cell comprising at least one such electrode plate.

There is provided a frame body used for a cell of a redox flow battery, that can improve heat dissipation of an electrolyte in a slit and can suppress rise of the temperature of the electrolyte. It is a frame body used for a cell of a redox flow battery, comprising: an opening formed inside the frame body; a manifold allowing an electrolyte to pass therethrough; and a slit which connects the manifold and the opening and forms a channel of the electrolyte between the manifold and the opening, the slit having a pair of sidewalls facing each other in a cross section orthogonal to a direction in which the electrolyte flows, the slit having, at at least a portion thereof in the slit's depthwise direction, a width narrowing portion allowing the sidewalls to have a spacing narrowed in the depthwise direction.

A cell frame for a redox flow battery comprises: a bipolar plate; and a frame body provided at an outer periphery of the bipolar plate, the frame body including a manifold which penetrates through front and back surfaces of the frame body and through which an electrolyte flows, and at least one slit being formed on the front surface of the frame body and forming a channel of the electrolyte between the manifold and the bipolar plate, a cross sectional shape of the slit, in a longitudinal direction of the slit, having a width w and a depth h, the width w and the depth h satisfying (A) w3 mm and (B) 1/8<h/w<1.