CIDETEC takes part in COBRA (COatings for BipolaR plAtes) project.

The aim of the project is to develop best-of-its-class bipolar plates for automotive stacks with superior corrosion resistance and durability while meeting commercial target cost.

Supported by the 7th Framework Programme of the European Commission in the context of the Fuel Cells and Hydrogen Joint Undertaking (FCH-JU) public private partnership, the project has a multidisciplinary character which implies joint efforts of specialists from various areas: chemistry, physics, material science, fuel cell engineering. The consortium comprises five more organizations: Commissariat à l’énergie atomique et aux energies alternatives (France), Borit NV (Belgium), Impact Coatings AB (Sweden), SymbioFCell SA (France) and Institut National des Sciences Appliquées de Lyon – INSA Lyon (France); combining the collective expertise of bipolar plate and coating suppliers, system integrators and research institutes and thus removes critical disconnects between stakeholders. 
The scientific objectives of this project are elaboration and characterization of low-cost new functional coated bipolar plates highly resistant to corrosion with low contact resistance. The COBRA project is providing the following specific benefits: 
– Bipolar plate specifications based on agreed OEM system requirements; 
– Performance and durability compatible with the stringent requirements of the automotive industry; 
– Post-mortem studies, phenomena modeling and ageing simulation will be conducted; 
– Development is tested in operating conditions and verified in detail on component, cell, and stack level by highly skilled research institutes and industrial partners; 
– Testing on Marine and Automotive conditions will be tested on-field with operating fuel cell systems 
The last meeting of the consortium was held in April in the facilities of CIDETEC, where the last results were discussed and the next steps were established. Part of the research carried out during the project is going to be disseminated in collaboration with INSA in the European Corrosion Congress 2016 (EUROCORR, September 2016).