IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/eee/renene/v235y2024ics0960148124013715.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Enhanced oxidation resistance and electrochemical performance of PEMFC gas diffusion layer through [EMIM][TFSI] ionic liquid coating

Author

Listed:
  • Madheswaran, Dinesh Kumar
  • Thangamuthu, Mohanraj
  • Krishna, Ram
  • Gopi, Suresh
  • Geo Varuvel, Edwin

Abstract

The performance and durability of Proton Exchange Membrane Fuel Cells (PEMFCs) are critically hindered by the oxidation susceptibility of graphite felt gas diffusion layers (GDLs). This study addresses this challenge by employing a protective coating of 1-Ethyl-3-methylimidazolium Bis(trifluoromethyl sulfonyl)imide ([EMIM][TFSI]) on the GDL through a dip-coating method, followed by thermal curing to ensure uniform distribution and strong adherence. Comprehensive characterization, including Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM), X-ray Diffraction (XRD), X-ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy (XPS), and Fourier-Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR), confirmed the homogeneous coating, adhesion, and maintained porosity and gas diffusion properties of the GDL. The coated GDL exhibited a substantial increase in oxidation resistance, resulting in higher hydrophobicity with a contact angle of approximately 131°, compared to 96° for the uncoated GDL. Electrochemical analyses revealed that the [EMIM][TFSI]-coated GDL achieved a current density of 27 mA cm−2 at 0.925 V, surpassing the 19 mA cm−2 of the uncoated GDL at 0.91 V during cyclic voltammetry (CV) analysis. This study is limited by the short-term stability tests and the specific environmental conditions under which the experiments were conducted. Future work will focus on optimizing the coating process for varied environmental conditions and exploring the scalability of this technique for practical applications.

Suggested Citation

  • Madheswaran, Dinesh Kumar & Thangamuthu, Mohanraj & Krishna, Ram & Gopi, Suresh & Geo Varuvel, Edwin, 2024. "Enhanced oxidation resistance and electrochemical performance of PEMFC gas diffusion layer through [EMIM][TFSI] ionic liquid coating," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 235(C).
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:renene:v:235:y:2024:i:c:s0960148124013715
    DOI: 10.1016/j.renene.2024.121303
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0960148124013715
    Download Restriction: Full text for ScienceDirect subscribers only
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1016/j.renene.2024.121303?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    As the access to this document is restricted, you may want to search for a different version of it.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:eee:renene:v:235:y:2024:i:c:s0960148124013715. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    We have no bibliographic references for this item. You can help adding them by using this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Catherine Liu (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.journals.elsevier.com/renewable-energy .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.