ALTDORF, Switzerland—Datwyler is banking on bipolar fuel cell technology in the new mobility era, and that is good news for customers in the hydrogen fuel cell space.
The customized seal and gasket producer will collaborate with Toulous, France-based Hycco, a producer of bipolar plates, in the development of a sealing solution that is both effective and scalable as demand increases for EVs.
"We are now in the process of developing the material options which will progress to processing trials," said Sarah Elisabeth Dechent, manager of material development for Datwyler. "The results we have achieved so far prove that a co-engineering approach to emerging technologies is the best way of working.
"At Datwyler we have the capabilities in material expertise, operational excellence and solution design to ensure fuel cell producers that we can deliver reliability and quality, supported by a global network."
Seals for the BPPs themselves are critical, according to Datwyler, as BPPs produce electricity through energy that previously existed in hydrogen and oxygen molecules.
The plates themselves are made of a composite material, found through elastomer testing to be lightweight, cost-effective, easy to process and provide the best chemical resistance.
Typically in a hydrogen fuel cell environment, seals and gaskets come into heavy contact with humidified air, cooling liquid and, of course, hydrogen.
Elastomers, in general, deliver against a broad range of critical parameters, Datwyler stated in a Nov. 29 release on the Hycco partnership.
High absorption of mechanical energy and excellent chemical resistance are two of the major attributes of elastomers, and they have great potential for fuel cell technology applications in combination with composite bipolar plates, according to Datwyler.
"Hycco is very pleased about the new strategic partnership with Datwyler," Hycco CEO Romain Di Costanzo said in a statement. "Together we want to develop a cost-effective solution for the production of gaskets for proton exchange membrane BPPs. Datwyler has a tremendous experience in elastomer formulation, and mass production of complex sealing parts.
"We are therefore very pleased and confident that this strong partnership will enable Hycco to provide a turnkey solution of sealed and assembled composite bipolar plate, for hydrogen fuel cells destined for heavy mobility markets."
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