Gasket Characterization for PEM Fuel Cell Component Optimization Under Extreme Conditions

Abstract

The objective of this study is to determine promising materials that are suitable for proton-exchange membrane fuel cells (PEMFCs) subject to extreme temperature conditions. The temperature cycling of the PEMFC from -55°C to 100°C causes the gasket to deteriorate much faster than conventional operation. Literature review was conducted to identify the promising candidate materials, which are polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE), ethylene propylene diene monomer rubber (EPDM), flourosilicone rubber (FSR), and extrusion-based 3-D printed Nylon 12 to investigate further. Tensile, compression set, and stress relaxation tests were conducted for each material following ASTM testing standards which include: ASTM D412, ASTM F37B, and ASTM F38. All specimens are temperature conditioned from -55°C to 100°C at different durations ranging from 50 hours to 200 hours. Digital Image Correlation (DIC) was used in order to visualize how the strain field is generated on the surface of the specimen. A long travel extensometer is used to obtain the true strain measurement as the specimen are elongated. A high performing gasket will allow the proton-exchange membrane fuel cells to be used for high-performance small-scale power generation. They key parameters being investigated are how the effects of temperature sweeping affects the materials properties such as tensile strength, gas sealability, as well as the stress relaxation of the materials.