Patent ID: 8728679

Claim:
An electrically conductive laminate composition for fuel cell flow field plate or bipolar plate applications, said composition comprising a hydrogen permeation resistant metal sheet having two opposed exterior surfaces and a first exfoliated graphite composite sheet bonded to the first of the two exterior surfaces of said metal sheet wherein said exfoliated graphite composite sheet comprises: (a) expanded or exfoliated graphite and particles of non-expandable graphite or carbon, wherein said non-expandable graphite or carbon particles are in the amount of between 3% and 60% by weight based on the total weight of said non-expandable particles and said expanded graphite, and (b) a binder or matrix material forming a cohered sheet, wherein said binder or matrix material is between about 3% and 60% by weight based on the total weight of said first exfoliated graphite composite sheet and the exfoliated graphite composite sheet has a thickness direction conductivity of no less than 50 S/cm, the thickness direction conductivity of the exfoliated graphite composite sheet also being greater than the thickness-direction conductivity of the sheet when the non-expandable graphite or carbon particles are not present, and the in-plane conductivity of the exfoliated graphite composite sheet being less than the in-plane conductivity of the sheet when the non-expandable graphite or carbon particles are not present.