Development and Characterization of Gas Diffusion Layer Fabricated Using Carbon Slurry with Ammonium Lauryl Sulfate for Proton Exchange Member Fuel Cells

Abstract

AbstractThe microporous layer of the gas diffusion layers (GDLs) was fabricated with the carbon slurry dispersed in water containing ammonium lauryl sulfate (ALS) using the wire rod coating method and evaluated the effects on PEMFC performance. GDLs were also fabricated with the carbon slurry dispersed in water containing sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) and multiwalled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) with isopropyl alcohol (IPA) based for fuel cell performance comparison. Membrane electrode assemblies (MEA) with GDLs fabricated using MWCNTs and SDS exhibit the highest performance at 60 and 70% RH with a peak power density of 1100 and 850 mW.cm−2 using oxygen and air as an oxidant, respectively. This means that the gas diffusion characteristics of these two samples were optimum at 60 and 70% RH with extremely high limiting current density values. It was also found that the composition of the carbon slurry, specifically ALS concentration has the highest peak power density of 1300 and 500 mW.cm−2 for both H2/O2 and H2/Air at 100% RH, respectively. However, SDS and MWCNTs based GDLs exhibited the lowest peak power density values using air as well as with oxygen as an oxidants at 100% RH.