Development of a Metallic Separator for a Micro-PEFC

Although polymer electrolyte fuel cells (PEFCs) have recently gained popularity in domestic and automobile use, miniature fuel cells are expected to be the power supply of mobile electronic devices. Generally, the separator used for a PEFC is made of carbon. However, carbon is unsuitable as a separator material for a micro-PEFC. Because carbon is fragile, machining a detailed feature, such as a gas channel, is difficult. Machining the channel into the metallic separator can be achieved; however, the cost rises accordingly. However, if metal injection molding (MIM) is used, the detailed gas channel geometry can be formed in the separator, and the manufacturing cost can be reduced. Therefore, we aim to develop a metallic separator suitable for a micro-PEFC by the MIM method.