Life Time Prediction of Rubber Gasket for Fuel Cell through Its Acid-Aging Characteristics

Mi Suk Kim; Jin Hak Kim; Jin Kuk Kim; Seok Jin Kim

Macromolecular Research, Vol.15, No.4, 315-323, June, 2007

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Life Time Prediction of Rubber Gasket for Fuel Cell through Its Acid-Aging Characteristics

Mi Suk Kim, Jin Hak Kim , Jin Kuk Kim^†, and Seok Jin Kim¹

Department of Polymer Science and Engineering, College of Engineering, Gyeongsang National University, Jinju, Gyeongnam 660-701, Korea
¹R&D Center, Dong-A Hwa Sung Co. Ltd., Gimhae, Gyeongnam 621-834, Korea

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The present manuscript deals with the prediction of the lifetime of NBR compound based rubber gaskets for use as fuel cells. The material was investigated at 120, 140 and 160 ℃, with aging times from 3 to 600 h and increasing H2SO4 concentrations of 5, 6, 7 and 10 vol%. Both material and accelerated acid-heat aging tests were carried out to predict the useful life of the NBR rubber gasket for use as a fuel cell stack. To investigate the effects of acid-heat aging on the performance characteristics of the gaskets, the properties of the NBR rubber, such as cross-link density and elongation at break, were studied. The hardness of the NBR rubber was found to decrease with decreasing acid concentration at both 120 and 140 ℃, but at 160 ℃, the hardness of the NBR rubber increased abruptly in a very short time at different acid concentrations. The tensile strength and elongation at break were found to decrease with increases in both the H2SO4 concentration & temperature. The observed experimental results were evaluated using the Arrhenius equation.

Keywords:life time prediction;fuel cell gasket;NBR;arrhenius equation

[References]

Larminie J, Dicks A, Fuel Cell Systems Explained, 2nd ed., Wiley, UK (2003)
Cho HD, Won JO, Ha HY, Kang YS, Macromol. Res., 14(2), 214 (2006)
Li J, Lee CH, Park HB, Lee YM, Macromol. Res., 14(4), 438 (2006)
Gillen KT, Bernstein R, Wilson MH, Polym. Degrad. Stabil., 87, 335 (2005)
Gillen KT, Bernstein R, Celina M, Polym. Degrad. Stabil., 87, 257 (2005)
Gillen KT, Bernstein R, Derzon DK, Polym. Degrad. Stabil., 87, 57 (2005)
Gillen KT, Celina M, Bernstein R, Polym. Degrad. Stabil., 82, 25 (2003)
Celina M, Gillen KT, Polym. Prepr, 42(1), 367 (2001)
Wise J, Gillen KT, Clough RL, Polym. Degrad. Stabil., 49, 403 (1995)
LeHuy M, Evrard G, Angew. Makromol. Chem., 261/262, 135 (1998)
Denardin ELG, Janissek PR, Samios D, Thermochim. Acta, 395(1-2), 159 (2003)
Nakauchi H, Kautsch. Gummi Kunstst., 49(12), 843 (1996)
Streit GP, Achenbach M, Tribology 2000-Plus: 12th International Colloquium, Ostfildern, Germany, January, pp. 1419-1431 (2000)
Jung JH, A study on Life Time Prediction and Aging property of Rubber Products for Automobile, Gyeongsang national Univ., M.S. thesis (2005)
Kim SJ, Kinetics of Dilute Acid Pretreatment of Woody Hemicellulose, Gyeongsang National Univ., M.S. thesis (1997)
Flory PJ, Rehner J, J. Chem. Phys., 11, 521 (1943)
Flory PJ, J. Chem. Phys., 18, 108 (1950)
Campbell DS, Chapman AV, J. Nut. Rubber Res., 5, 246 (1990)
Moore CG, Watson WF, J. Polym. Sci., 19, 237 (1956)
Mullins L, J. Appl. Polym. Sci., 2, 1 (1959)
Kim SG, Lee SH, Polym.(Korea), 18, 176 (1994)
Khairi Nagdi, Rubber as an Engineering Material: Guideline for Users, Hanser Gardner Publications, Munich (1993)
Jung JH, A study on Life Time Prediction and Aging property of Rubber Products for Automobile, Gyeongsang national Univ., M.S. thesis (2005)

[Referenced By]

[Related Articles]

[1] Larminie J, Dicks A, Fuel Cell Systems Explained, 2nd ed., Wiley, UK (2003)

[2] Cho HD, Won JO, Ha HY, Kang YS, Macromol. Res., 14(2), 214 (2006)

[3] Li J, Lee CH, Park HB, Lee YM, Macromol. Res., 14(4), 438 (2006)

[4] Gillen KT, Bernstein R, Wilson MH, Polym. Degrad. Stabil., 87, 335 (2005)

[5] Gillen KT, Bernstein R, Celina M, Polym. Degrad. Stabil., 87, 257 (2005)

[6] Gillen KT, Bernstein R, Derzon DK, Polym. Degrad. Stabil., 87, 57 (2005)

[7] Gillen KT, Celina M, Bernstein R, Polym. Degrad. Stabil., 82, 25 (2003)

[8] Celina M, Gillen KT, Polym. Prepr, 42(1), 367 (2001)

[9] Wise J, Gillen KT, Clough RL, Polym. Degrad. Stabil., 49, 403 (1995)

[10] LeHuy M, Evrard G, Angew. Makromol. Chem., 261/262, 135 (1998)

[11] Denardin ELG, Janissek PR, Samios D, Thermochim. Acta, 395(1-2), 159 (2003)

[12] Nakauchi H, Kautsch. Gummi Kunstst., 49(12), 843 (1996)

[13] Streit GP, Achenbach M, Tribology 2000-Plus: 12th International Colloquium, Ostfildern, Germany, January, pp. 1419-1431 (2000)

[14] Jung JH, A study on Life Time Prediction and Aging property of Rubber Products for Automobile, Gyeongsang national Univ., M.S. thesis (2005)

[15] Kim SJ, Kinetics of Dilute Acid Pretreatment of Woody Hemicellulose, Gyeongsang National Univ., M.S. thesis (1997)

[16] Flory PJ, Rehner J, J. Chem. Phys., 11, 521 (1943)

[17] Flory PJ, J. Chem. Phys., 18, 108 (1950)

[18] Campbell DS, Chapman AV, J. Nut. Rubber Res., 5, 246 (1990)

[19] Moore CG, Watson WF, J. Polym. Sci., 19, 237 (1956)

[20] Mullins L, J. Appl. Polym. Sci., 2, 1 (1959)

[21] Kim SG, Lee SH, Polym.(Korea), 18, 176 (1994)

[22] Khairi Nagdi, Rubber as an Engineering Material: Guideline for Users, Hanser Gardner Publications, Munich (1993)

[23] Jung JH, A study on Life Time Prediction and Aging property of Rubber Products for Automobile, Gyeongsang national Univ., M.S. thesis (2005)