Coating of Metal Bipolar Plates
Technical Details
Process
Scalable Equipment Solutions
We offer you ideal solutions for cost-efficient and highly productive manufacturing. They are tailored to your current and future requirements.
Our coating systems are based on modular platforms. This design will allow you to scale from research and development to high-volume production.
Coatings for Metal Strip & Bipolar Plates
To offer you optimal pre- and post-coating solutions, we combine our equipment and PVD technology portfolio.
Pre-coating describes the coating of metal strip straight from the coil and focuses on high productivity at unrivaled low cost.
Post-coating, on the other hand, is a more conservative coating approach. Here, completely welded bipolar plates are coated on both outer surfaces while avoiding any interaction of the coating with the forming and welding process.
A third alternative is mid-coating, which means that anode and cathode halfplates are coated on both sides after the forming process but prior to their assembly into a bipolar plate.
Performance
Coatings for PEM fuel cells
Our carbon-based layer stacks for PEM fuel cell applications are optimized for a low interfacial contact resistance (ICR), good adhesion and high corrosion resistance. The ICR, corrosion performance and durability of these layer stacks are comparable to the gold reference coating and have been qualified by renowned research and testing institutes. In this context, our carbon coating called X-CONDUCT clearly outperforms comparable solutions.
Electrochemical corrosion test with Fraunhofer ISE
VON ARDENNE carbon coatings are corrosion resistant at fuel cell potential. Even after exposure to higher potentials, they show low contact resistance, similar to a gold coating. Especially X-CONDUCT demonstrates excellent corrosion resistance.
Accelerated stress test (AST) with ZBT
In the accelerated stress test, the performance of VON ARDENNE coatings (pre- and post-coating) can also reach the performance of a PVD gold coating.
Coatings for PEM electrolyzers
VON ARDENNE also offers noble metal coatings for PEM electrolyzer applications. These coatings reduce the interfacial contact / through-plane resistance (ICR/TPR) and provide corrosion protection at the anode potential of the electrolysis. They also serve as a barrier against hydrogen embrittlement.
Support
Engineering
Simulation . Sampling . Layout
Technology & Application Center
Sampling . Development . Scaling
Service
Customer Portal . Spare Parts . Trainings
Kontakt
23.06.2026 - 25.06.2026
Intersolar Europe 2026
Munich, Germany
Exhibition Center Munich
Position A2/420
05.07.2026 - 10.07.2026
SPIE Astronomical Telescopes + Instrumentation 2026
Copenhagen, Denmark
02.09.2026 - 04.09.2026
Semicon Taiwan 2026
Taipeh, Taiwan
Silicon Saxony Pavilion
14.09.2026 - 18.09.2026
EUPVSEC Bilbao 2026
Rotterdam, the Netherlands
WTC World Trade Center
13.10.2026 - 15.10.2026
Semicon West 2026
San Francisco, CA, USA
Moscone Center
North Hall | Booth 5373