Durable Solutions for fuel cells and energy storage systems

Our high-performance graphite bipolar plates made from high-performance materials



Components for fuel cells and energy storage - we engineer (the) future

Fuel cells and energy storage systems will play a decisive role in future energy supply. With graphite bipolar plates, Schunk provides you with a key component for your success in this regard. Benefit from the corrosion resistance of our high-performance materials as well as from our commitment to produce bipolar plates in high volumes for you.

Intensive research & Development has been invested in each of our graphite bipolar plates for fuel cells and energy storage. Some of the resulting solutions have been established for over 20 years and are characterized by outstanding material properties that result in high durability and a long service life. As an innovation driver and one of the world's technology leaders in this field, we are clearly committed to this technology of the future - this is demonstrated, among other things, by the fact that we are constantly improving our materials and continuously expanding our production capacities.

Diverse challenges surrounding the fuel cell

As an experienced industrial partner, we know what you expect from a fuel cell and especially from our graphite bipolar plates: high performance and durability. And more importantly, we know how to meet these demands. The corrosive and humid conditions of a fuel cell place the highest demands on the performance of our graphitic materials. Electrical conductivity with low contact resistance must also be guaranteed at all times. Added to this are gas tightness, high energy density and high mechanical strength.

Our materials and process know-how provides the solution

To meet your requirements, we use advanced graphitic materials that have exceptionally high corrosion resistance and are therefore very durable. By optimizing the individual manufacturing steps and using our compound expertise in graphitic materials, we achieve the best results in terms of energy density, mechanical requirements and performance. Since we cover the entire supply chain in-house, you can rely on consistently high quality.

Stationary energy storage systems must overcome many challenges

The technical and economic feasibility of a stationary energy storage system depends on numerous factors. For example, scalability must be possible in order to build MWh systems in series. It must also be certain that the systems can be operated maintenance-free in all climatic environments. Long-term storage capability and durability play a major role - the system and all installed components should last at least 20 years. This usually means more than 10,000 charge and final charge cycles without significant degradation or failure. Making renewable energy sources permanently available is not least a matter of cost efficiency and sustainability. Only available and non-critical materials should be used here.

Graphite materials make energy storage ready for the future

Our products are used in redox flow batteries, which represent a good technical and commercial solution for long-term storage. With our bipolar plates and electrodes made of graphitic materials, we guarantee high corrosion resistance in the aggressive electrochemical cell and thus a long lifetime of the energy storage device. We also keep an eye on the cost structure through lean processes and well thought-out material utilization. We achieve optimized material utilization through press technology (press-to-size) for thermoset materials and by recycling offcuts during the manufacture of thermoplastic bonded products. End-of-life recycling of components is also possible and extremely simple. All raw materials of our products are available, harmless and ethically processed.