BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
The foregoing aspects, as well as many of the attendant advantages and features of this invention, will become more apparent by reference to the following detailed description, when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, wherein:
FIG. 1 is an elevation exploded diagram showing a current collection board for a fuel cell according to an embodiment of the invention;
FIG. 2 is an elevation exploded diagram of FIG. 1 in the present invention;
FIG. 3 shows the structure of a current collection bar according to an embodiment of the invention;
FIG. 4 shows the structure of a current collection bar according to another embodiment of the invention;
FIG. 5 shows the structure of a current collection bar with thru holes according to an embodiment of the invention; and
FIG. 6 is a diagram showing a current collection board in the fabrication state.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
FIG. 1 is an elevation exploded diagram showing a current collection board for a fuel cell according to an embodiment of the invention. FIG. 2 illustrates the elevation diagram of FIG. 1 in the present invention. The current collection board 1 of the present invention mainly comprises a substrate 11 and at least one current collection bar 13. The substrate may be made of a printed circuit substrate, such as an FR4 substrate, an FR5 substrate, an epoxy resin substrate, a glass fiber substrate, a ceramic substrate, a polymeric plastic substrate, or a composite substrate. One or more hollow portions 110 are disposed over the substrate 11 corresponding to the positions of the membrane electrode assemblies (MEAs) (not shown).
The current collection bar 13 is made of stainless steel. The shape and the size of each current collection bar 13 should be considered for correspondence to the shape and the size of the membrane electrode assemblies (MEAs) (not shown). For example, when the shape of the membrane electrode assemblies (MEAs) is rectangular, the current collection bar 13 should also be rectangular. However, the above rectangular structure for the current collection bar 13 is only one preferred embodiment of the present invention. The current collection bar of the present invention is not only limited to a rectangular shape.
FIG. 3 shows the structure of a current collection bar according to an embodiment of the invention. FIG. 4 shows the structure of a current collection bar according to another embodiment of the invention. FIG. 5 shows the structure of a current collection bar with thru holes according to an embodiment of the invention. The structure of the current collection bar 13 can be flat. Instead, the structure of the current collection bar 13 can be flat with a protruding portion 130. The current collection bar 13 as shown in FIG. 3 is used to cover the corresponding hollow portion 110. The protruding portion of the current collection bar 13 as shown in FIG. 4 is deployed to the corresponding hollow portion 110. As shown in FIG. 5, the current collection bar 13 further includes at least one thru hole 132. As such, fuels pass through the thru holes 132 and flow into the MEAs, respectively (not shown). Also, the products produced during electrochemical reactions in the MEAs pass through the thru holes 132 and drain away.
For accommodating a current collection bar 13 to various conditions of fuels, the surface of the current collection bar 13 in the present invention is further treated by a protection process and/or an anticorrosive/acid-proof process. The surface of the current collection bar 13 is plated with a thin metal layer of copper (Cu) or gold (Ag). Consequently, the current collection bar 13 is not damaged by corrosion from fuels, and the performance of the current collection bar 13 is enhanced.
FIG. 6 is a diagram showing a current collection board in the fabrication state. In order to fabricate the current collection board 1 of the present invention, the substrate 11, the current collection bar 13, and the adhesion layer 15 are disposed from top to bottom, respectively. The current collection board 1 is fabricated further by sealing with a heat seal machine. The above adhesion layer 15 is made of glass fiber resin.
The current collection board 1 above may be applied to manifold fuel cells, such as a fuel cell with methanol fuels, a fuel cell with liquid fuels, a fuel cell with gaseous fuels, or a fuel cell with solid fuels.
The aforementioned current collection board combines the benefits of a printed circuit substrate and stainless steel with the physical properties of these two kinds of metals, so it has the following advantages and improvements:
- 1. The substrate of the current collection board is fabricated from a printed circuit substrate, which is less expensive and processed easily. Furthermore, the current collection bar having stainless steel is easily fabricated at low cost. So the current collection board made thereby is favorable for mass production; and
- 2. In addition to possessing the ability to collect current, the surface of the current collection bar is further treated by a protection process and/or an anticorrosive/acid-proof process. Therefore, the current collection bar has a longer lifetime and an improved ability to collect current.
While the invention has been particularly shown and described with reference to the preferred embodiments thereof, these are, of course, merely examples to help clarify the invention and are not intended to limit the invention. It will be understood by those skilled in the art that various changes, modifications, and alterations in form and details may be made therein without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention, as set forth in the following claims.
Patent Application
20080020258
