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

    for a different version of it.

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Squadrito, Gaetano & Maggio, Gaetano & Nicita, Agatino, 2023. "The green hydrogen revolution," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 216(C).
    2. Yang, Liu & Cao, Chenxi & Gan, Quanquan & Pei, Hao & Zhang, Qi & Li, Ping, 2022. "Revealing failure modes and effect of catalyst layer properties for PEM fuel cell cold start using an agglomerate model," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 312(C).
    3. Maximilian Grandi & Kurt Mayer & Matija Gatalo & Gregor Kapun & Francisco Ruiz-Zepeda & Bernhard Marius & Miran Gaberšček & Viktor Hacker, 2021. "The Influence Catalyst Layer Thickness on Resistance Contributions of PEMFC Determined by Electrochemical Impedance Spectroscopy," Energies, MDPI, vol. 14(21), pages 1-18, November.
    4. Lee, F.C. & Ismail, M.S. & Ingham, D.B. & Hughes, K.J. & Ma, L & Lyth, S.M. & Pourkashanian, M., 2022. "Alternative architectures and materials for PEMFC gas diffusion layers: A review and outlook," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 166(C).
    5. Arezoo Avid & Jesus López Ochoa & Ying Huang & Yuanchao Liu & Plamen Atanassov & Iryna V. Zenyuk, 2022. "Revealing the role of ionic liquids in promoting fuel cell catalysts reactivity and durability," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 13(1), pages 1-13, December.
    6. Arunkumar Jayakumar & Dinesh Kumar Madheswaran & Nallapaneni Manoj Kumar, 2021. "A Critical Assessment on Functional Attributes and Degradation Mechanism of Membrane Electrode Assembly Components in Direct Methanol Fuel Cells," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(24), pages 1-26, December.
    7. Dinesh Kumar Madheswaran & Mohanraj Thangamuthu & Sakthivel Gnanasekaran & Suresh Gopi & Tamilvanan Ayyasamy & Sujit S. Pardeshi, 2023. "Powering the Future: Progress and Hurdles in Developing Proton Exchange Membrane Fuel Cell Components to Achieve Department of Energy Goals—A Systematic Review," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(22), pages 1-24, November.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Ahmed, Saad & Beauger, Christian & Zada, Amir & Iqbal, Waseem & Ahmed, Naveed & Anwar, Muhammad Tuoqeer & Hassan, Muhammad, 2025. "Recent advancements in designing high-performance proton exchange membrane fuel cells: A comprehensive review," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 390(C).

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Lan, Shunbo & Liu, Haonian & Zhou, Xinran & Lin, Rui, 2025. "Comprehensive analysis on the influence of perforated structure on mass transfer and performance of gas diffusion layer," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 246(C).
    2. Guo, Yi & Tang, Yuming & Wang, Lingzi & Wang, Yuli & Peng, Xueyuan, 2024. "Optimal design of operating frequency for the ionic liquid compressor applied in hydrogen storage," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 237(PB).
    3. xu, Guiying & Qian, Haifeng & Zhang, Qi & R Alsenani, Theyab & Bouzgarrou, Souhail & Alturise, Fahad, 2024. "Integration of biomass gasification and O2/H2 separation membranes for H2 production/separation with inherent CO2 capture: Techno-economic evaluation and artificial neural network based multi-objectiv," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 224(C).
    4. Cheng, Xiang & Lin, Jin & Zhang, Mingjun & Sha, Liandong & Yang, Bosen & Liu, Feng & Song, Yonghua, 2025. "Power controller design for electrolysis systems with DC/DC interface supporting fast dynamic operation: A model-based and experimental study," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 378(PB).
    5. Michaela Roschger & Sigrid Wolf & Boštjan Genorio & Viktor Hacker, 2022. "Effect of PdNiBi Metal Content: Cost Reduction in Alkaline Direct Ethanol Fuel Cells," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(22), pages 1-15, November.
    6. Li, Jianwei & Wang, Tianci & Yang, Qingqing & Tian, Zhonghao & Lv, Hong & Wang, Xuechao & Shen, Jun, 2025. "A safe region method to quantitatively evaluate the safety of fuel cell operating states," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 377(PA).
    7. Inac, Selcuk & Midilli, Adnan, 2025. "On geothermal and wind energy integrated methanol production by using green hydrogen," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 318(C).
    8. Ercelik, Mustafa & Ismail, Mohammed S. & Ingham, Derek B. & Hughes, Kevin J. & Ma, Lin & Pourkashanian, Mohamed, 2023. "Efficient X-ray CT-based numerical computations of structural and mass transport properties of nickel foam-based GDLs for PEFCs," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 262(PB).
    9. Ayiguzhali Tuluhong & Qingpu Chang & Lirong Xie & Zhisen Xu & Tengfei Song, 2024. "Current Status of Green Hydrogen Production Technology: A Review," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 16(20), pages 1-47, October.
    10. Cao, Qiming & Min, Haitao & Sun, Weiyi & Zhao, Honghui & Yu, Yuanbin & Zhang, Zhaopu & Jiang, Junyu, 2024. "A method of combining active and passive strategies by genetic algorithm in multi-stage cold start of proton exchange membrane fuel cell," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 288(C).
    11. Ruggero Angelico & Ferruccio Giametta & Biagio Bianchi & Pasquale Catalano, 2025. "Green Hydrogen for Energy Transition: A Critical Perspective," Energies, MDPI, vol. 18(2), pages 1-47, January.
    12. Xu, Guanxin & Wu, Yan & Tang, Shuo & Wang, Yufei & Yu, Xinhai & Ma, Mingyan, 2024. "Optimal design of hydrogen production processing coupling alkaline and proton exchange membrane electrolyzers," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 302(C).
    13. Zuo, Min & Liu, Tongtong & Ju, Yan & Xun, Hongmei & Zhang, Jie & Yan, Chenghe & Li, Minghou & Li, Jia & Zhao, Degang, 2024. "Fabrication self–assembly bulk CuO/Cu2O@Ni–B metallic catalysts for hydrogen evolution reaction," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 235(C).
    14. González-Morán, Laura & Suárez, Christian & Iranzo, Alfredo & Han, Lei & Rosa, Felipe, 2024. "A numerical study on heat transfer for serpentine-type cooling channels in a PEM fuel cell stack," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 307(C).
    15. Isaac C. Okereke & Mohammed S. Ismail & Derek B. Ingham & Kevin Hughes & Lin Ma & Mohamed Pourkashanian, 2023. "Single- and Double-Sided Coated Gas Diffusion Layers Used in Polymer Electrolyte Fuel Cells: A Numerical Study," Energies, MDPI, vol. 16(11), pages 1-16, May.
    16. Alotaibi, Abdullah M. & Muayqil, Elaf & Al Abass, Nawal & Alhajji, Mohammed A. & Bubshait, Almidqdad A. & Alhazmi, Nahla E. & Almuqhim, Anas A., 2024. "Surface engineering of CuO-Cu2O heterojunction thin films for improved photoelectrochemical water splitting," Renewable Energy, Elsevier, vol. 235(C).
    17. Zikuan Zhang & Yongle Tan & Daozeng Yang & Tiankuo Chu & Bing Li, 2023. "A Finite Element Analysis Model-Based Study on the Effect of the Frame on Membrane Stresses in Proton Exchange Membrane Fuel Cells," Energies, MDPI, vol. 16(20), pages 1-13, October.
    18. Małgorzata Magdziarczyk & Andrzej Chmiela & Weijian Su & Adam Smolinski, 2024. "Green Transformation of Mining towards Energy Self-Sufficiency in a Circular Economy—A Case Study," Energies, MDPI, vol. 17(15), pages 1-13, July.
    19. Ana-Maria Chirosca & Eugen Rusu & Viorel Minzu, 2024. "Green Hydrogen—Production and Storage Methods: Current Status and Future Directions," Energies, MDPI, vol. 17(23), pages 1-27, November.
    20. Gaetano Maggio & Salvatore Vasta & Agatino Nicita & Stefano Trocino & Mauro Giorgianni, 2025. "Green Hydrogen Generation by Water Photoelectrolysis: Economic and Environmental Analysis," Energies, MDPI, vol. 18(6), pages 1-24, March.

    More about this item

    Keywords

    ;
    ;
    ;
    ;
    ;

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    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.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with 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.