Dynamic mechanical characteristics of five elastomeric gasket materials aged in a simulated and an accelerated PEM fuel cell environment

Elastomeric materials are used as gaskets or seals in polymer electrolyte membrane (PEM) fuel cells and stacks. These gaskets/seals in PEM fuel cells are exposed to acidic, humid air, mechanical compressive pressure and cyclic temperature environment. Both the physical and chemical long-term stabilities of these gaskets/seals are therefore crucial to the overall performance of the fuel cell. Chemical degradation of five elastomeric gasket materials in a simulated and an aggressive accelerated fuel cell solution at 80 degrees C up to 63 weeks was investigated in this work using dynamic mechanical analysis (DMA) which assesses the change of dynamic mechanical properties of the five materials samples as they aged. The storage, loss modulus, and tan delta of the materials were presented that can reveal the glass transition temperature and other properties. The five materials tested are copolymeric resin (CR), liquid silicone rubber (LSR), fluorosilicone rubber (FSR), ethylene propylene diene monomer rubber (EPDM), and fluoroelastomer copolymer (FKM). Copyright (C) 2011, Hydrogen Energy Publications, LLC. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.