Improvement of the efficiency of PEM fuel cells through the use of appropriate sealing means

Supervisor: Professor Mohamed Pourkashanian, Professor Lin Ma, Professor Derek Ingham and Dr Kevin Hughes

Fuel cells are very strong competitors to the conventional energy conversion technologies which are responsible for the emission of the greenhouse gases. The most prominent type of fuel cells are proton exchange membrane (PEM) fuel cells. PEM fuel cells must be well-sealed in order to perform reliably and prevent the leakage of hydrogen. Typically, gaskets are used to seal the PEM fuel cells, though they must be selected with great care.

The selection of the inappropriate sealing gasket may lead to a serious decline in the performance of the fuel cell. In most cases, this is due to the poor electrical contact between the electrodes and the current collectors of the fuel cell. One of the main objectives of this project is to theoretically and experimentally optimise the parameters that affect the contact between the electrode and the current collector in PEM fuel cells, most importantly the thickness and the stiffness of both the electrode and sealing gasket.

For further information contact Professor Derek B Ingham (d.ingham@sheffield.ac.uk).