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Fuel cell cathode End plates or otherwise called clamp plates are needed at either end of the stack to apply pressure on the cells to maintain the structure as well as to prevent the gases from escaping from between the plates.
Completed end plates generally have holes for the bolts as well as for the inlet and outlet manifolds.
Sometimes, the end plates also serve as flow field plates with flow channels on one side. For example, when a metal plate is used as the flow field plate, the end plates at the anode and cathode sides also serve as the flow field plates on their respective sides.
However, a separate plate is often used as the end plate to assemble a fuel cell if graphite plates are used as the flow fields.
The Global Fuel cell Cathode end plates market accounted for $XX Billion in 2022 and is anticipated to reach $XX Billion by 2030, registering a CAGR of XX% from 2023 to 2030.
Membrane Electrode Assemblies (MEA) – A fuel cell’s core component, the Membrane Electrode Assembly (MEA), aids in the electrochemical reaction that separates electrons.
A fuel (hydrogen, methanol, etc.) can be found on the MEA’s anode side. diffuses through the membrane before meeting an oxidant (oxygen or air) on the cathode end.
This oxidant forms a bond with the fuel and receives the electrons that were taken away from the fuel. Reactions are made possible by catalysts on each side, and a membrane lets protons pass through while keeping the gases separate.
By drawing current from the cell and maintaining its potential, electricity can be produced.
A Polymer Electrolyte Membrane (PEM), two catalyst layers, and two Gas Diffusion Layers (GDL) make up a typical MEA. Due to its composition, a MEA with this configuration is known as a 5-Layer MEA.
The 3-Layer MEA is a different kind of membrane electrode assembly that uses a polymer electrolyte membrane and catalyst layers on both the anode and cathode sides.
Catalyst Coated Membrane (CCM) is another term for this kind of MEA. An illustration of each type can be found in the diagram below:
