London, 16 November 2009 

World Gold Council “WGC” has today welcomed the development of Au Nanoclad™, a gold based coating developed by Ford Motor Company, for use in fuel cells.  This metallic bipolar plate technology uses thin gold-coated stainless steel and has the potential to improve electrical conductivity and corrosion resistance in fuel cell separator plates.  It will be presented at the upcoming conference Fuel Cells Durability & Performance 20091 in Alexandria, Virginia, USA. 

For commercial applications, separator plates in fuel cells must be resistant to corrosion, be durable and have low resistance.  The US Department of Energy ( DOE) has set targets in these areas that manufacturers must meet by 2010, and according to research published in Energy & Environmental Science2 earlier this year, gold coated stainless steel is the only material that can meet these targets. 

Ford Motor Company is using a nanometer range gold coating, to provide low resistance and high durability, with the least impact on cost.  The Au Nanoclad™, technology is a good example of how modern techniques can allow only the necessary amount of gold to be used by engineers, making it a cost effective solution. 

Richard Holliday, Director, Industrial, at World Gold Council, said: “This is further evidence that the unique properties of gold make it the best material for use in a growing number of industrial applications, and, importantly, that gold can be used cost-effectively.  We are pleased that automotive companies have recognised gold’s inherent advantage in this application.  World Gold Council would be interested in hearing from organisations interested in collaborating to bring other innovative technologies using gold to market.”

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