Characterization of novel graphene-based microporous layers for Polymer Electrolyte Membrane Fuel Cells operating under low humidity and high temperature

Mariani, Marco; Latorrata, Saverio; Patrignani, Stefano; Stampino, Paola Gallo; Dotelli, Giovanni

doi:10.1016/j.ijhydene.2019.12.213

Cited by 29 publications

(15 citation statements)

References 66 publications

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“…Although H 2 O may accumulate along with the gas flow direction, the temperature decreases at position L and then increases again, as seen in Figure 10. According to the previous report [37] investigating the observations of H 2 O behavior in the GDL and gas channel experimentally, the cross-flow in the GDL would occur under the rib part, promoting the power generation around the area where liquid H 2 O is accumulated [22]. Due to this reason, the temperature increases again after position L. The increase in concentration of the H 2 O vapor would decrease the partial pressure of O 2 and influence the mass transfer of O 2 to the catalyst layer [38], resulting in a temperature drop near the outlet of cell [23].…”

Section: Effect Of Separator Thickness On In-plane Temperature Distri...mentioning

confidence: 99%

Impacts of Separator Thickness on Temperature Distribution and Power Generation Characteristics of a Single PEMFC Operated at Higher Temperature of 363 and 373 K

et al. 2022

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The aim of this study is to investigate the effects of the separator thickness on not only the heat and mass transfer characteristics, but also the power generation characteristics of a polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cell (PEMFC) with a thin polymer electrolyte membrane (PEM) and thin gas diffusion layer (GDL) operated at higher temperatures of 363 and 373 K. The in-plane temperature distributions on the back of the separator at the anode and cathode, which are the opposite sides to the GDL, are measured using a thermograph at various initial cell temperatures (Tinit), relative humidity (RH) levels, and supply gas flow rates. The total voltage corresponding to the load current is measured in order to evaluate the performance of the PEMFC. As a result, it is revealed that the effect of the RH on the power generation characteristics is more significant when the separator thickness decreases. It is revealed that the power generation performance obtained at high current densities decreases with the increase in Tinit with thinner separator thicknesses. According to the investigation of the in-plane temperature distribution, it is clarified that the temperature decreases at corner positions in the separator with the separator thickness of 2.0 mm, while the temperature gradually increases along with the gas flow with separator thicknesses of 1.5 mm and 1.0 mm.

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Section: Effect Of Separator Thickness On In-plane Temperature Distri...mentioning

confidence: 99%

Impacts of Separator Thickness on Temperature Distribution and Power Generation Characteristics of a Single PEMFC Operated at Higher Temperature of 363 and 373 K

et al. 2022

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“…These inks are obtained by mixing a liquid medium (typically water) with various carbon-based materials (e.g., carbon black, carbon nanotubes, or graphene nanoparticles); typically, a dispersing agent (e.g., isopropyl alcohol) is added to improve the contact between the carbon materials and water, thus obtaining homogeneous and well-dispersed slurries. In some cases, a hydrophilizing agent (e.g., carboxy-methyl-cellulose) is further added to produce hybrid/mixed coatings and to act as a pore-forming agent [13][14][15][16].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Role of Fluorinated Polymers in the Water Management of Proton Exchange Membrane Fuel Cells: A Review

et al. 2021

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As the hydrogen market is projected to grow in the next decades, the development of more efficient and better-performing polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cells (PEMFCs) is certainly needed. Water management is one of the main issues faced by these devices and is strictly related to the employment of fluorinated materials in the gas diffusion medium (GDM). Fluorine-based polymers are added as hydrophobic agents for gas diffusion layers (GDL) or in the ink composition of microporous layers (MPL), with the goal of reducing the risk of membrane dehydration and cell flooding. In this review, the state of the art of fluorinated polymers for fuel cells is presented. The most common ones are polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) and fluorinated ethylene propylene (FEP), however, other compounds such as PFA, PVDF, PFPE, and CF4 have been studied and reported. The effects of these materials on device performances are analyzed and described. Particular attention is dedicated to the influence of polymer content on the variation of the fuel cell component properties, namely conductivity, durability, hydrophobicity, and porosity, and on the PEMFC behavior at different current densities and under multiple operating conditions.

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“…13 There are numerous studies in the literature, which focus on the effects of MPL composition aimed at improving the performance of the fuel cell. [14][15][16][17][18][20][21][22][23][24][25][26][27][28][29][30][31][32][33][34] Furthermore, there are many investigations on the MPL, which can be characterised by the type and loading of the hydrophobic agent used 1,14,15,[19][20][21][22][23][24]31 and the carbon powder type used. 1,[15][16][17][18][19][25][26][27][28][29][30]32 Gas permeability is one of the key properties of the PEFC porous media, which describes how effective the convective gas transport is within the porous regions of the fuel cell and accurate values of permeability are needed to obtain realistic saturation profiles in PEFC models.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…[14][15][16][17][18][20][21][22][23][24][25][26][27][28][29][30][31][32][33][34] Furthermore, there are many investigations on the MPL, which can be characterised by the type and loading of the hydrophobic agent used 1,14,15,[19][20][21][22][23][24]31 and the carbon powder type used. 1,[15][16][17][18][19][25][26][27][28][29][30]32 Gas permeability is one of the key properties of the PEFC porous media, which describes how effective the convective gas transport is within the porous regions of the fuel cell and accurate values of permeability are needed to obtain realistic saturation profiles in PEFC models. 1,19 Gas permeability is usually measured in the through-plane or in-plane directions due to the anisotropy of the GDM, that is, in a direction traverse to or orthogonal to the GDM, respectively.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…There are numerous studies in the literature, which focus on the effects of MPL composition 14‐34 aimed at improving the performance of the fuel cell 14‐18,20‐34 . Furthermore, there are many investigations on the MPL, which can be characterised by the type and loading of the hydrophobic agent used 1,14,15,19‐24,31 and the carbon powder type used 1,15‐19,25‐30,32 .…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Effect of composition and structure of gas diffusion layer and microporous layer on the through‐plane gas permeability of PEFC porous media

Neehall

Ismail

Hughes

et al. 2021

Intl J of Energy Research

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The through-plane permeability of the gas diffusion media (GDM) is investigated experimentally with regard to the microporous layer (MPL) composition and the gas diffusion layer (GDL) composition and structure. The MPL composition is held constant at 80% carbon powder and 20% polytetrafluorethylene (PTFE) (by weight) for various carbon loadings. The decrease or increase in GDM permeability was found to be dependent on the structure of the GDL used in conjunction with the type of carbon powder. It was found that low-surface-area carbon powder (Vulcan XC-72R) forms thin, dense MPLs with small cracks when compared to high-surface-area powder (Ketjenblack EC-300J), which creates thick, rough MPLs with large cracks with increased carbon loadings. For most cases, the permeability decreases with increasing carbon loading; however, the non-woven, straight fibre carbon papers using Ketjenblack EC-300J show the lowest permeability at the lowest carbon loading. Furthermore, the percentage reduction from the GDL substrate permeability appears to be predictable for similar structures with increasing carbon loading. The increase in PTFE loading from 10% to 30% in the GDL was shown to have a significant impact on the percentage reduction from the original GDL permeability of $9% to 15% for the GDM composed of Vulcan XC-72R as carbon powder; however, such effects are insignificant when using Ketjenblack EC-300J carbon powder.

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Characterization of novel graphene-based microporous layers for Polymer Electrolyte Membrane Fuel Cells operating under low humidity and high temperature

Cited by 29 publications

References 66 publications

Impacts of Separator Thickness on Temperature Distribution and Power Generation Characteristics of a Single PEMFC Operated at Higher Temperature of 363 and 373 K

Impacts of Separator Thickness on Temperature Distribution and Power Generation Characteristics of a Single PEMFC Operated at Higher Temperature of 363 and 373 K

The Role of Fluorinated Polymers in the Water Management of Proton Exchange Membrane Fuel Cells: A Review

Effect of composition and structure of gas diffusion layer and microporous layer on the through‐plane gas permeability of PEFC porous media

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