A fuel cell separator capable of surely discharging produced water, and a method and apparatus for producing the same. The fuel cell separator is formed in a wave shape with recesses and projections alternately arranged in a first direction, the recesses forming reactant gas channels together with a membrane electrode assembly and the projections abutting the membrane electrode assembly, in which on a surface of the fuel cell separator that is adapted to face the membrane electrode assembly, a plurality of first grooves extending in the first direction along the corrugation of the recesses and projections is disposed at intervals from each other in a second direction orthogonal to the first direction, and a second groove extending in the second direction and communicating with the plurality of first grooves is disposed in the bottom portion of each recess.

A fuel cell separator capable of surely discharging produced water, and a method and apparatus for producing the same. The fuel cell separator is formed in a wave shape with recesses and projections alternately arranged in a first direction, the recesses forming reactant gas channels together with a membrane electrode assembly and the projections abutting the membrane electrode assembly, in which on a surface of the fuel cell separator that is adapted to face the membrane electrode assembly, a plurality of first grooves extending in the first direction along the corrugation of the recesses and projections is disposed at intervals from each other in a second direction orthogonal to the first direction, and a second groove extending in the second direction and communicating with the plurality of first grooves is disposed in the bottom portion of each recess.

A composition comprises: an at least partially hydrolysed polyvinyl acetate component having an hydrolysation degree of at least 5%; a polyalkylene glycol component having a number average molecular mass Mn lower than 9000 g/mol and consisting of one or more substances selected from the group consisting of polyethylene glycol, polypropylene glycol, copolymers of ethylene glycol and propylene glycol, and their derivatives; a positive or negative electrode active component; and a conductive component; wherein the mass ratio between the at least partially hydrolysed polyvinyl acetate component and the positive or negative electrode active component equals at least 0.12 and at most 0.30, and wherein the mass ratio between the polyalkylene glycol component and the positive or negative electrode active component equals at least 0.012 and at most 0.10.

Provided is a fuel cell capable of easily forming an interconnector part electrically connecting adjacent unit cells in a planar array fuel cell. In the fuel cell, an electrode layer on each of two surfaces of an electrolyte membrane is divided into a plurality of electrode regions by a dividing groove; a unit cell is constituted by a stacked structure including the electrolyte membrane, one electrode region on one surface of the electrolyte membrane, and one electrode region on the other surface thereof; and the plurality of the unit cells are connected in series by the interconnector part formed in the electrolyte membrane. The interconnector part is formed by heating and carbonizing a proton conductive resin in the electrolyte membrane. The proton conductive resin can be heated by laser beam irradiation.

A channel forming system of fuel cell separator is provided. The channel forming system includes a composite molded body of graphite or graphite and resin that comprises the fuel cell separator; and a channel forming tool with rotary drive for the composite molded body. The channel forming tool includes a cylindrical body; and a grooving tool. The grooving tool includes machining blades in the shape of groove which are manufactured as workpiece shape of the channel and regularly arranged in lines on the external circumferential surface along the major axis of the cylindrical body, and as the channel forming tool rotates against the composite molded body, channels are created on the whole surface of one side of the composite molded body.

A channel forming system of fuel cell separator is provided. The channel forming system includes a composite molded body of graphite or graphite and resin that comprises the fuel cell separator; and a channel forming tool with rotary drive for the composite molded body. The channel forming tool includes a cylindrical body; and a grooving tool. The grooving tool includes machining blades in the shape of groove which are manufactured as workpiece shape of the channel and regularly arranged in lines on the external circumferential surface along the major axis of the cylindrical body, and as the channel forming tool rotates against the composite molded body, channels are created on the whole surface of one side of the composite molded body.

The present invention includes bodies of flexible expanded graphite or of rigid body porous graphite impregnated with blended polymer-wax treatments to create composite bodies that exhibit properties critical in the function of electrochemical systems, and methods of manufacturing the same. High electrical conductivity is an inherent attribute of the untreated graphitic material that is retained through the impregnation process, while attributes of extremely low permeability and high mechanical strength are added to the composite via the polymer-wax blend. In one embodiment of the invention, the attributes of low ionic permeability, high flexural strength, and high electrical conductivity are achieved to create a component that could be useful in Redox Flow Battery (RFB) systems.

Provided is a method for producing a fuel cell separator, capable of easily roughening the surface of a sheet-like metal substrate to become a fuel cell separator and thus reducing the contact resistance of the resulting fuel cell separator. Specifically, the method is a method for producing a fuel cell separator from a sheet-like metal substrate, including pulling the metal substrate at least in one direction to plastically deform the metal substrate, thereby increasing the arithmetic average roughness Ra of the surface of the metal substrate after being pulled compared to that before being pulled.

Provided is a method for producing a fuel cell separator, capable of easily roughening the surface of a sheet-like metal substrate to become a fuel cell separator and thus reducing the contact resistance of the resulting fuel cell separator. Specifically, the method is a method for producing a fuel cell separator from a sheet-like metal substrate, including pulling the metal substrate at least in one direction to plastically deform the metal substrate, thereby increasing the arithmetic average roughness Ra of the surface of the metal substrate after being pulled compared to that before being pulled.

A fuel cell includes a plurality of unit cells disposed in a stack. Each unit cell includes a membrane electrode assembly (MEA) having an anode and a cathode and a bipolar plate having a cathode side defining a recessed pocket in fluid communication with an air port, an anode side, and coolant channels between the cathode and anode sides. The bipolar plate is disposed against the MEA such that the cathode is disposed over the pocket. A flow guide is disposed in the pocket with a front side facing the MEA and a back side facing a bottom of the pocket. The flow guide has a plurality of embossments.