Successful application of fuel cell technology is key for the sustainable hydrogen economy. Fuel cells are electrochemical devices that can efficiently convert the chemical energy of the fuel directly into the electrical energy. The application of fuel cell technology to portable power systems is motivated by several factors including high power density, high energy-to-weight ratio and more importantly environmentally benign process. However, miniaturization of fuel cells for portable power applications is not simply a matter of reducing physical dimensions, but making use of new designs and manufacturing process for micro and macro components. This puts a limitation on the materials and process used for making such components. The widespread commercialization of the technology has still not been made possible due to high costs associated with the fuel cell components. One such component in the fuel cell stack is the bipolar/end plate. This presentation reviews some of the recent developments in the materials, design, and concepts for bipolar/end plates in the polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cell stack from the speaker’s experience at The University of Alabama. Experimental results for use of Fe-based alloys for bipolar plate as an alternative to the expensive conventionally used graphite material are presented. The developments of the models for optimizing the design parameters in the gas flow-field of these plates are discussed. Based on these simulations results, some of the new concepts for these plates were urbanized. These include: use of metal foam in the gas flow-field and corrugated thin sheet bipolar/end plate. Experimental results with these new concepts are presented and will be compared with the model predicted results. Applications of these new concepts in the development of commercial fuel cell stacks in the era of Hydrogen economy are discussed.