Effect of calcination temperature on hydrophobicity of microporous layers prepared with two different molecular weights of PDMS polymer on PEM fuel cell performance with low Pt loading

Water management is the most critical issue for the reliable PEM fuel cell operation. Microporous layer (MPL) is an important component of gas diffusion media and its hydrophobicity affects the water removal capability of the cell. Hydrophobic property changes with different parameters and in this study, the effect of calcination temperature on the hydrophobicity of the MPLs was investigated. MPLs were prepared with two different molecular weights of polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) polymer and they were calcined at different temperatures. The results show that calcination temperature has considerable effect on the hydrophobic characteristic of the MPL. The fuel cell MPL prepared with lower molecular weight of PDMS and calcined at 300 degrees C gives the best performance even though its hydrophilic character. (C) 2016 Hydrogen Energy Publications LLC. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.