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UNIVERSITY OF BUCHAREST
FACULTY OF PHYSICS Guest
2024-11-23 18:23 |
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Conference: Bucharest University Faculty of Physics 2022 Meeting
Section: Physics and Technology of Renewable and Alternative Energy Sources
Title:
Graphene microporous layer for proton exchange membrane fuel cells
Authors:
Marc TORFEH (1), Adriana Elena BALAN (1,2)
Affiliation:
1) University of Bucharest, Faculty of Physics, Bucharest-Măgurele, Romania
2) University of Bucharest, Faculty of Physics, 3Nano-SAE Research Centre, 405 Atomistilor str., PO Box MG-38, Bucharest-Măgurele, Romania
E-mail
marc.torfeh@gmail.com, adriana.balan@unibuc.ro
Keywords:
Graphene, Microporous layer, PEM fuel cell
Abstract:
Fuel cells are considered to be part of the sustainable energy production strategy. Researchers are making progress in improving the technical performance of fuel cells by optimizing each component. One such component is the microporous layer (MPL). MPL in a fuel cell is influencing the water management- membrane humidification and removal of excess water from the cathode- and also fuel feeding to the catalyst layer, temperature, and contact resistance. In this work, we tested the overall performance of a proton exchange membrane fuel cell with commercial graphene as MPL. The membrane-electrode assembly (MEA) of the fuel cells was made from a Nafion electrolyte with Pt/C (60%) nanoparticles as a catalyst. The gas diffusion layer was obtained by spraying graphene and 10% Teflon solution as MPL onto carbon paper. Catalyst electrochemical active area was evaluated in the fuel cell testing configuration by cyclic voltammetry. Graphene MPL- MEA performances were studied at different values of humidity and temperature and compared to a similar MEA with carbon black as MPL. The reference MEA was prepared and tested under the same experimental conditions. Enhanced performances under a wide range of humidity conditions and temperatures prove that graphene is a potential MPL material in fuel cells, due to its high electrical and thermal conductivity.
Acknowledgement:
This work was supported by a grant of the Romanian Ministery of Education and Research, CNCS-UEFISCDI, project number PN-III-1.1-TE-2019-1796, within PNCDI III and 106 PD/2020.
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