Elastomer based composite materials for bipolar plates in polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cells

In most investigations, polymer conductive composite bipolar plates have failed to achieve the low resistivity required for PEMFCs. The goal of this dissertation is to investigate whether a composite of conductive fillers and a two-phase polymeric matrix will achieve low resistivity through preferred distribution of the fillers at the interface of the two phases. The use of an elastomer as one component of the blend will impart fracture resistance.;Three types of matrices were investigated, a single phase polyvinyl ester plastic matrix, a compatible one-phase blend of polyvinyl ester (VER) and polyurethane (PU) elastomer, and a two-phase system of polyvinyl ester and ethylene propylene diene monomer (EPDM) elastomer. The different phases were determined by the theory of mixing. When solubility parameters are closer together it is likely that the system will be one phase. The one and two-phase systems were analyzed within the composition containing natural Cytec DKD graphite fibers, Asbury synthetic graphite 4012 flakes and ultra high surface area synthetic graphite TC 307.;Phase systems affect the mechanical, electrical, and thermal properties. The percolation theory analysis was applied to determine the optimal percentage of conductive fillers and polymer blends. The optimal composition for composite materials consisted of 35vo1% of conductive fillers and 65vo1% of a two-phase blend matrix. The conductive filler included 3vol% of synthetic graphite TC307, 25.5vol% of Cytec DKD graphite fibers and 6.5vol% of Asbury synthetic graphite 4012 flakes. The two-phase blend matrix included 40vol% of EPDM to 60vol% of VER. This resulted in an electrical resistivity of 0.009Ω-cm and a thermal conductivity of 11.6W/m-K. The two-phase blend matrix added more ductility to the composition with the ability to withstand a stress of 10MPa with over 1% strain applied to the overall composite bipolar plates. The composition also absorbed 60% more mechanical energy than that containing 100vol% VER matrix.;In summary, the two-phase polymer blend improved the distribution of the conductive fillers by allowing them to interface with the boundaries of the two phases. This created a conductive path at a lower filler concentration which resulted in improved electrical conductivity and more absorption of mechanical energy.