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Effect of carbon fiber length and graphene on carbon-polymer composite bipolar plate for PEMFC

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Abstract

Carbon-polymer composite bipolar plate is developed using novolac phenol formaldehyde resin as the polymer matrix and natural graphite, carbon black, carbon fiber, and graphene as conductive reinforcements by compression molding technique. The developed bipolar plates are characterized using electrical conductivity, flexural strength, deflection at mid-span, interfacial electrical contact resistance, and corrosion current density in simulated polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cell environment (1 M H2SO4 + 2 ppm HF at 80 °C with hydrogen and oxygen purging). The effect of carbon fiber length and graphene content is studied with an overall aim to achieve the desired properties as per the stringent target properties chosen out of US-DOE and Plug Power Inc. The optimized composition of the bipolar plate is tested in a single cell polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cell set up. The optimum carbon fiber length and graphene content are found to be 1 mm and 1.5 %, respectively. The anodic and cathodic corrosion current densities are within the stringent target. Moreover, the incorporation of graphene improved the fuel cell performance significantly (13 %).

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Acknowledgments

The authors gratefully acknowledge the financial support given for this work by the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research, CSIR, New Delhi, (Sanction number: 22 (0498)/10/EMR-II), Government of India.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Chemical Engineering, Indian Institute of Technology Guwahati, Guwahati, Assam, 781039, India

    Avijit Ghosh & Anil Verma

  2. Center for Energy, Indian Institute of Technology Guwahati, Guwahati, Assam, 781039, India

    Avijit Ghosh & Anil Verma

  3. Department of Biotechnology, Indian Institute of Technology Guwahati, Guwahati, Assam, 781039, India

    Pranab Goswami

  4. Department of Mechanical Engineering, Indian Institute of Technology Guwahati, Guwahati, Assam, 781039, India

    Pinakeshwar Mahanta

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  1. Avijit Ghosh
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  2. Pranab Goswami
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  3. Pinakeshwar Mahanta
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  4. Anil Verma
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Correspondence to Anil Verma.

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Ghosh, A., Goswami, P., Mahanta, P. et al. Effect of carbon fiber length and graphene on carbon-polymer composite bipolar plate for PEMFC. J Solid State Electrochem 18, 3427–3436 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10008-014-2573-1

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10008-014-2573-1

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