Fuel cell carbon paper has high technical content and my country is expected to achieve large-scale production

In the fuel cell, the membrane electrode is the core component. The membrane electrode is composed of a proton exchange membrane, a catalyst, and a gas diffusion layer. The gas diffusion layer material is mainly carbon paper, which is located at both ends of the membrane electrode. Its function is to support the proton exchange membrane. The second is to coat the catalyst, and the third is to connect the membrane electrode and the bipolar plate. Fuel cell carbon paper (also called carbon cloth) is made from chopped carbon fiber. It has good mechanical strength, light weight, high porosity, excellent air permeability, as well as excellent electrical conductivity, high temperature resistance, and Oxidation, corrosion resistance and other characteristics.

In the context of energy structure adjustment, my country’s fuel cell industry is developing rapidly, and hydrogen energy is an important component. Hydrogen fuel cells have high energy conversion efficiency and no pollution. They are green, clean and renewable new energy sources. They can be used as power batteries for new energy vehicles with strong endurance and fast charging speed. The “White Paper on China’s Hydrogen Energy and Fuel Cell Industry” proposes that by 2050, the proportion of hydrogen energy in China will reach 10%, and the output value of related industries will reach 12 trillion yuan. Against this background, my country’s fuel cell production is expected to continue to grow, which will drive the demand for fuel cell carbon paper to continue to rise.

According to the “2022-2026 Fuel Cell Carbon Paper Industry In-depth Market Research and Investment Strategy Suggestions Report” released by the Industrial Research Center, In fuel cells, the three key materials of the core component membrane electrode, proton exchange membrane, catalyst, and gas diffusion layer, are indispensable. These three products have high technical content. In my country, Dongyue Group can mass-produce perfluorosulfonic acid proton exchange membranes, and Shanghai Jiping New Energy can mass-produce fuel cell catalysts. However, there is no company in my country that can mass-produce fuel cell carbon paper, although there are scientific research institutions that have developed it. Products with advanced performance have not yet been commercialized. At this stage, my country’s demand for fuel cell carbon paper relies on imports.

Globally, fuel cell carbon paper manufacturers mainly include Japan’s Toray, Germany’s SGL, Canada’s Ballard and a few other companies. Among them, Japan’s Toray has strong R&D capabilities and has many patents related to fuel cell carbon paper. It ranks first in the global market. The share is large. For a long time, my country’s fuel cell carbon paper has basically been imported from the above three companies. The price of imported products is high, which is not conducive to the reduction of fuel cell costs and the expansion of application scale, and is not conducive to the improvement of the competitiveness of my country’s fuel cell industry in the international market in the future.

In April 2020, Shanghai Huayi Group and VIBRANT EPOCH LTD formally signed a cooperation framework agreement to establish a Chinese joint venture to complete the construction of a (carbon paper/carbon cloth) production line for fuel cell gas diffusion layers in China. In April 2021, Jinmei Carbon Materials cooperated with Suzhou CRRC Hydrogen Energy and signed a “Fuel Cell Carbon Paper Localization Project”. In the future, my country’s fuel cell carbon paper production scale is expected to continue to expand, and the monopoly of the domestic market by foreign companies is expected to change.

Industry analysts said that the global gas diffusion layer material market is expected to reach US$3.34 billion by 2024. If my country’s fuel cells Carbon paper can be produced in batches, and the products have cost-effective advantages. In addition to the domestic market, companies can also enter overseas markets. Overall, my country’s fuel cell carbon paper industry has broad development prospects.