Kaushal, Shweta and Negi, Praveen and Sahu, A. K. and Dhakate, S. R. (2017) Upshot of natural graphite inclusion on the performance of porous conducting carbon fiber paper in a polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cell. Materials Research Express, 4 (9). 095603-1-095603-8. ISSN 2053-1591

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Abstract

Porous conducting carbon fiber paper (PCCFP) is one of the vital component of the gas diffusion layer (GDL) in a fuel cell. This PCCFP serves as the most suitable substrate for the GDL due to its electrical conductivity, mechanical properties, and porosity. In this approach, carbon fiber composite papers were developed by incorporating different fractions of natural graphite (NG) in the matrix phase, i.e. Phenolic resin, and using the combined process of paper making and carbon-carbon composite formation technique. These prepared samples were then heat treated at 1800 degrees C in an inert atmosphere. The effect of natural graphite incorporation was ascertained by characterizing porous carbon paper by various techniques i.e. X-ray diffraction, Raman spectroscopy, Scanning electron microscopy, electrical and mechanical properties, and I-V performance in a unit fuel cell assembly. The inclusion of NG certainly enhance the properties of the carbon matrix as well as improving the conductive path of carbon fibers. In this study addition of 1 wt.% of natural graphite demonstrated a significant improvement in the electrical conductivity and performance of PCCFP and resulted in the improvement of power density from 361-563 mW cm(-2). This paper reports that the uniform dispersion of NG was able to generate a maximum number of macrosize pores in the carbon paper that strengthened the flexural modulus from 4 to 12 GPa without compromising the porosity required for the GDL.

Item Type:	Article
Additional Information:	Copyright for this article belongs to M/s IOP Publishing.
Subjects:	Materials Science
Divisions:	UNSPECIFIED
Depositing User:	Users 27 not found.
Date Deposited:	31 May 2019 10:51
Last Modified:	31 May 2019 10:51
URI:	http://npl.csircentral.net/id/eprint/2930

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