POSCO International said it is ready to start volume production of separator plates for hydrogen fuel cells.
POSCO International announced on March 8 that its subsidiary POSCO SPS has established a mass production line for separator plates, which are part of a fuel cell stack and act as an anode for one cell and a cathode for adjacent cells at the same time. They also function as a support between cells that make up a stack.
“Poss470FC,” a bipolar plate produced by POSCO SPS, is made of POSCO’s high-conductivity stainless steel which is superior to other materials in terms of corrosion resistance, conductivity, durability, and uniformity. In particular, it is very slim, 0.1mm. It is also considered an eco-friendly material because it can avoid harmful substances that occur during a plating process.
POSCO Group has been developing metal bipolar plates for hydrogen vehicles through the POSCO Research Institute since 2006. POSCO SPS started producing ultra-thin materials for bipolar plates in 2018.
The bipolar plates from POSCO SPS can be applied not only to hydrogen vehicles but also to hydrogen fuel cells for drones. Their application will expand to the mobility market such as robots and urban aviation mobility (UAM).
Currently, the company has an annual production capacity of 1,400 tons, which can be used for production of fuel cells for 35,000 hydrogen vehicles. POSCO SPS is planning to ramp up production to 10,000 tons by 2027.
POSCO International Starts Volume Production of Separator Plates for Hydrogen Fuel Cells, March 9, 2021