Material property models for polyethylene-based conductive blends suitable for PEM fuel cell bipolar plates

Abstract

Electrical and thermal conductivity models from Mamunya et al. and Kerner's equation for elastic and flexural modulus have been applied to experimental data to assess model accuracies. Experimental data were gained from a previous study where polyethylene and carbon black, graphite and magnetite composites produced by injection and compression moulding were tested. The electrical conductivity modelling gave accurate fits to the data, though available data were limited and the thermal conductivity modelling produced good fits with R 2 values greater than 0.93. The electrical and thermal model exponents were tuned for best fit and used to compare the modelling results with the literature and gain information about conduction mechanisms such as tunnelling and links, nodes and blobs and variations in local filler concentrations. A modified Kerner's equation to effectively allow for filler type and variations in composite processing was used to improve upon the original equation which modelled modulus behaviour based on the pure matrix. The new equation proved to be a better predictor of elastic modulus than flexural modulus.

Manufacturing and Tribological Behavior of Self-Lubricating Duplex Composites: Graphite-Reinforced Polymer Composites and Polymer-Infiltrated Metal Networks

“…In order to calculate the initial mean Hertzian contact pressure, the equivalent elastic moduli of the infiltrated composites were predicted using the Kerner equation that was found to fit well with the experimental data of polymer composites reinforced with rigid fillers [32][33][34]:…”

Structural and Luminescence Properties of ZnO Nanoparticles Synthesized by Mixture of Fuel Approach in Solution Combustion Method

“…The nanoparticles have great significance as three dimensional confined systems bridging the gap between bulk materials and molecular compounds. A variety of techniques have been employed for the synthesis of ZnO nanoparticles such as sol-gel synthesis [17], the hydrothermal method [18], the solution combustion method [19] and solid state reactions [20]. Among these, the combustion technique is noteworthy as a fast method to synthesize nanocrystalline materials in as-synthesized form with large surface area without the further need of heat treatment.…”