Properties and Performance of Gas Diffusion Layer PEMFC Derived from Coconut Coir

Fredina Destyorini; Yuyun Irmawati; Henry Widodo; Deni Shidqi Khaerudini; Nanik Indayaningsih

doi:10.5614/j.eng.technol.sci.2018.50.3.7

Authors

Fredina Destyorini Fuel Cell and Hydrogen Technology Research Group, Research Center for Physics, Indonesian Institute of Sciences (LIPI), Bld 440-442 Kawasan Puspiptek, Tangerang Selatan, Banten 15314,
Yuyun Irmawati Fuel Cell and Hydrogen Technology Research Group, Research Center for Physics, Indonesian Institute of Sciences (LIPI), Bld 440-442 Kawasan Puspiptek, Tangerang Selatan, Banten 15314,
Henry Widodo Fuel Cell and Hydrogen Technology Research Group, Research Center for Physics, Indonesian Institute of Sciences (LIPI), Bld 440-442 Kawasan Puspiptek, Tangerang Selatan, Banten 15314,
Deni Shidqi Khaerudini Fuel Cell and Hydrogen Technology Research Group, Research Center for Physics, Indonesian Institute of Sciences (LIPI), Bld 440-442 Kawasan Puspiptek, Tangerang Selatan, Banten 15314,
Nanik Indayaningsih Fuel Cell and Hydrogen Technology Research Group, Research Center for Physics, Indonesian Institute of Sciences (LIPI), Bld 440-442 Kawasan Puspiptek, Tangerang Selatan, Banten 15314,

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.5614/j.eng.technol.sci.2018.50.3.7

Keywords:

cell performance, coconut coir, electrical conductivity, fuel cell, gas diffusion layer.

Abstract

In this work, carbon composite papers (CCP) were successfully produced by mixing 80 wt% carbon derived from coconut coir and 20 wt% binder (ethylene vinyl acetate and polyethylene glycol). The CCPs were prepared with two different forms of carbon material, i.e. powder (particle size: 74 m) and fiber (length: 2 mm, diameter: 100-500 m). Two types of papers were developed based on their composition. The first type, called CCP-1, was made from carbon in powder form (80 wt%), while the second one, CCP-2, was based on a combination of fiber (70 wt%) and powder (10 wt%). The influence of the carbon form on CCP properties were investigated, including electrical conductivity, porosity, hydrophobicity, microstructure, and its performance as a gas diffusion layer (GDL) in a stack of proton exchange membrane fuel cell (PEMFC) system. Based on the results, CCP-1 showed a slightly better fuel cell performance than CCP-2, which was also confirmed by its lower porosity, electrical conductivity, and water contact angle. The effect of carbon composite paper's properties, including its morphology and performance, are disscused in this paper in detail and compared with a commercially based GDL material (TGP-H-120).

Downloads

Download data is not yet available.

References

Williams, M.C., Fuel Cell Handbook 6th, EG&G Technical Services, Inc., Margatown, West Virginia.

Kandlikar, S.G., Garofalo, M.L. & Lu, Z., Water Management in a PEMFC: Water Transport Mechanism and Material Degradation in Gas Diffusion Layers, Fuel Cells, 11(6), pp. 814-823, 2011.

Litster, S. & McLean, G., PEM Fuel Cell Electrodes, Journal of Power Sources, 130(1-2), pp. 61-76, 2004.

Parikh, N., Allen, J.S. & Yassar, R.S., Microstructure of Gas Diffusion Layers for PEM Fuel Cells, Fuel Cells, 12(3), pp. 1-9, 2012.

Park, S., Lee, J.W. & Popov, B.N., Effect of Carbon Loading in Microporous Layer on PEM Fuel Cell Performance, Journal of Power Sources, 163(1), pp. 357-363, 2006.

Lobato, J., Canizares, P., Rodrigo, M.A., Ruiz-Lopez, C. & Linares, J.J., Influence of the Teflon Loading in the Gas Diffusion Layer of PBI-Based PEM Fuel Cells, Journal of Applied Electrochemistry, 38(6), pp. 793-802, 2008.

Ge, J., Higier, A. & Liu, H., Effect of Gas Diffusion Layer Compression on PEM Fuel Cell Performance, Journal of Power Sources, 159(2), pp. 922-927, 2006.

Sengul, E., Erkan, S., Eroglu, I. & Bac, N., Effect of Gas Diffusion Layer Characteristics and Addition of Pore Forming Agents on The Performance of Polymer Electrolyte Membrane Fuel Cells, Chemical Engineering Communication, 196(1-2), pp. 161-170, 2008.

Bhatt, S., Gupta, B., Sethi, V.K. & Pandey, M., Polymer Exchange Membrane (PEM) Fuel Cell: A Review, International Journal of Current Engineering and Technology, 2(1) 2012.

Han, C., Kim, I-T., Sun, H-J. & Shim, J., Effect of Carbon Content on the Physical Properties of Carbon Composite Gas Diffusion Layer in PEMFCs, International Journal Electrochemical Science [Internet], 7, pp. 8627-8636, 2012. Available from: www.electrochemsci.org.

Park, S. & Popov, B.N., Effect of a GDL Based on Carbon Paper or Carbon Cloth on PEM Fuel cell Performance, Fuel, 90(1), pp. 436-440, 2011.

Cindrella, L., Kannan, A.M., Lin, J.F. & Wertz, J., Gas Diffusion Layer for Proton Exchange Membrane Fuel Cells-A Review, Journal of Power Sources, 194(1), pp. 146-160, 2009.

Hung, C-H., Chiu, C-H., Wang, S-P., Chiang, I-L. & Yang, H., Ultra Thin Gas Diffusion Layer Development for PEMFC, International Journal of Hydrogen Energy, 37(17), pp. 12805-12812, 2012.

Xie, Z.Y., Jin, G.Y., Zhang, M. & Huang, Q.Z., Improved Properties of Carbon Fiber Paper as Electrode for Fuel Cell by Coating Pyrocarbon Via CVD Method, Transactions of Nonferrous Metals Society of China, 20(8), pp. 1412-1417, 2010.

Kinumoto, T., Matsumura, T., Yamaguchi, K., Matsuoka, M., Tsumura, T. & Toyoda, M., Material Processing of Bamboo for Use as a Gas Diffusion Layer in Proton Exchange Membrane Fuel Cells, ACS Sustainable Chemistry and Engineering, 3(7), pp. 1374-1380, 2015.

Kinumoto, T., Matsumura, T., Matsuoka, M., Tsumura, T. & Toyoda, M., Preparation and Electrochemical Behavior of Carbonaceous Fiber Sheets Derived From Bamboo, ECS Transactions, 58(25), pp. 155-162, 2014.

Destyorini, F. & Indayaningsih, N., Material Processing of Oil Palm Empty Fruit Bunches for use as Raw Material of Conductive Carbon Paper, In: IOP Conference Series: Journal of Physics, 120601-12066, 2017.

Indayaningsih, N., Irmawati, Y. & Destyorini, F., Performance of Gas Diffusion Layer Derived from Carbon Powder of Coconut Coir for PEMFC Application, ARPN Journal of Engineering and Applied Sciences, 11(6) 2016.

Destyorini, F., Subhan, A., Indayaningsih, N., Prihandoko, B. & Syahrial, A.Z., Preparation and Characterization of Carbon Composite Paper from Coconut Coir for Gas Diffusion Layer, International Journal of Technology, 7(8), pp. 1283-1290, 2016.

Bashforth, F. & Adams, J.C., An Attempt to Test the Theories of Capillary Action by Comparing the Theoretical and Measured Forms of Drops of Fluid with an Explanation of the Method of Integration Employed in Constucting the Tables Which Give the Theoretical Forms of Such Drops, Cambridge [Eng.] University Press, Cambridge, 1883. Available from: https://archive.org/details/attempttest00bashrich.

Shim, J., Han, C., Sun, H., Park, G., Lee, J. & Lee, H., Preparation and Characterization for Carbon Composite Gas Diffusion Layer on Polymer Electrolyte Membrane Fuel Cells, Trans . of the Korean Hydrogen and New Energy Society, 23(24), pp. 34-42, 2012.

Wen, S. & Chung, D.D.L., Partial Replacement of Carbon Fiber by Carbon Black in Multifunctional Cement-Matrix Composites, Carbon, 45(3), pp. 505-513, 2007.

Shen, L., Wang, F.Q., Yang, H. & Meng, Q.R., The Combined Effects of Carbon Black and Carbon Fiber on the Electrical Properties of Composites Based on Polyethylene or Polyethylene/Polypropylene Blend, Polymer Testing, 30(4), pp. 442-448, 2011.

Park, S. & Popov, B.N., Effect of Cathode GDL Characteristics on Mass Transport in PEM Fuel Cells, Fuel, 88(11), pp. 2068-2073, 2009.

Haji, S., Analytical Modeling of PEM Fuel Cell i-V Curve, Renewable Energy, 36(2), pp. 451-458, 2011. Available from: http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.renene.2010.07.007.

Larminie, J. & Dicks, A., Fuel Cell Systems Explained, 2nd Edition, John Wiley & Sons Ltd, 93(1-2), pp. 14-16, 67-72, 2003. Available from: https://books.google.se/books/about/Fuel_Cell_Systems_Explained.html?id=5rp22BEdibcC&pgis=1.

Khazaee, I. & Ghazikhani, M., The Effect of Material Properties on the Performance of a New Geometry PEM Fuel Cell, Heat and Mass Transfer, 48(5), pp. 799-807, 2012.

Tseng, C.-J. & Lo, S.-K., Effects of Microstructure Characteristics of Gas Diffusion Layer and Microporous Layer on the Performance Of PEMFC, Energy Conversion and Management, 2010.

Han, M., Xu, J.H., Chan, S.H. & Jiang, S.P., Characterization of Gas Diffusion Layers for PEMFC, Electrochimica Acta, 53(16), pp. 5361-5367, 2008.

Gostick, J., Multiphase Mass Transfer and Capillary Properties of Gas Diffusion Layers for Polymer Electrolyte Membrane Fuel Cells, PhD Dissertation, Departement of Chemical Engineering, University of Waterloo, Waterloo, Canada, 2008.