Improvement of decal transfer method for preparing fast and reliable CCM assembly
Typ
Examensarbete för masterexamen
Master's Thesis
Master's Thesis
Program
Materials chemistry (MPMCN), MSc
Publicerad
2024
Författare
Hurtig, Adam
Modellbyggare
Tidskriftstitel
ISSN
Volymtitel
Utgivare
Sammanfattning
As sustainable energy solutions have garnered more importance in society and to
governmental bodies, a technology getting attention as being part of the solution and
a step in the right direction is the proton exchange membrane fuel cell (PEMFC).
This comes as the PEMFC uses hydrogen and oxygen to create electricity, with
the side-products being heat and water, which means that it is a very clean energy
converter. At the heart of the fuel cell is the catalyst coated membrane (CCM),
which is where the reactions take place, and it is the component investigated in this
thesis. Although there are multiple ways of fabricating CCMs, the method used
in this thesis is the decal transfer method. Using this method, parameters such as
temperature and pressure were varied to investigate the optimal parameters under
different conditions. These conditions included the usage of different membranes,
three different cathode loadings and two CCM areas. During this process, several
analytical tools were employed, with the intent of finding the most effective quality
check method for in-house production of CCMs. This included the usage of an
optical microscope, lightboard and high intensity light. The performance of CCMs
assembled using optimized parameters was also examined by in-situ fuel cell testing.
Lastly, an investigation into the most appropriate pressure pad material was performed.
The results in this thesis outlines the optimal parameters for each condition
and proposes both the most effective quality check method and the most suitable
pressure pad material.
Beskrivning
Ämne/nyckelord
proton exchange membrane fuel cell , catalyst coated membrane , decal transfer