A U.S. company is hoping its plastic bipolar plate patent will revolutionise the lead-acid battery industry.
Integral Technologies, a wholly owned subsidiary ElectriPlast Corporation, has a patent pending on a plate which replaces multiple layers of grids, paste and separators.
The patent pending technology allows the conductivity and resistance of the bipolar plate substrate to be tailored, and subsequent surface treatment processes, to create a low resistance bipolar plate as the contact to the active paste materials.
By doing this the company claims the current path between positive and negative terminals is shortened for more efficient energy output.
The worldwide market for lead-acid batteries is predicted to rise by $14billion to $58.5B by 2020, reports Future Market Insights.
Doug Bathauer, President and Chief Executive Officer, Integral Technologies, said: “A view shared by many throughout the industry is that lead acid technology is reaching a sunset phase in the development cycle.
“This is evident by the ongoing efforts to develop other technologies. While lithium ion, for example, is taking center stage, lead acid is still the ‘tried-and-true’ technology.”
Mohammad Zeidan, CTO, ElectriPlast Corporation, said: “The molding process allows us to produce 3D shapes which allow the bipolar plate and integral structures to be produced in any desired form.
“We are able to create reliable seals between the plates and enclosure to prevent electrolyte leaking.”
