Investigation of material properties of graphite flow channel gas diffusion layer in PEM fuel cell array

This study presents the material properties of graphite flow plates with different designs for the PEM fuel cell. The aim of this study is to provide the necessary electrical conductivity for fuel cells. The performance of fuel cells is affected by the material properties of the components that make up the fuel cell. Flow plates are one of the key components in a PEM fuel cell. The gases to be reacted are transmitted to the catalyst layer via the gas diffusion layer over the flow plates that also play an important role in the transmission of electricity produced in the cell. In this study, the material properties of 4 graphite plates with different flow field designs were revealed by SEM, EDS, TGA analyzes and their electrical conductivity was revealed by four-point measurement technique. While SEM images of the plates reveal the layered structure of graphite, no element other than carbon was found as a result of EDS analysis. As a result of the TGA analysis of the plates, it was observed that the PEM fuel cell was extremely stable in terms of thermal stability and there was no mass change except moisture loss (0.40-4.40%). The electrical conductivity of the cell was obtained as 678.17 [S cm-1] and 847.71 [S cm-1] as a result of different measurements. Thus, this study has formed a model for future studies on PEM fuel cell flow channels.