The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document.
The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge covers the following: Patent number, Date patent was issued, Date patent was filed, Title of the patent, Applicant, Inventor, Assignee, Attorney firm, Primary examiner, Assistant examiner, CPCs, and Abstract. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document (in Adobe Acrobat format, aka pdf). To download or print any patent click here.
Patent No.:
Date of Patent:
Sep. 18, 2001
Filed:
May. 03, 1999
Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha, Toyota, JP;
Abstract
An inexpensive and corrosion resistant metal-made gas separator includes a base formed by joining formed stainless steel base sheets face to face. The base carries on each of opposite surfaces thereof a first coating layer formed by plating with tin. The base is also coated with a second coating layer of a thermal expansion graphite. When incorporated into a fuel cell, the separator contacts gas diffusion electrodes that are formed from a carbon material similar to the carbon material of the second coating layer, so that the contact resistance is reduced. The first coating layer is formed after a passive state coating is removed from the stainless steel surface, so that an increase in the internal resistance of the separator caused by the passive state coating is substantially prevented.