Leaching of ions from the fuel cell components and presence of impurities in the coolant lowers the lifetime performance of fuel cells. This present study investigates the long term and high-temperature behavior of different materials in fuel cell coolants. Electrical conductivity and pH changes were recorded for several metals and polymers immersed in ultra-pure water and proprietary ethylene glycol solutions for 8 weeks at 80°C. Aluminum, brass, and stainless steel showed minimal changes in the conductivity and pH. Polymers containing branched chains and amine groups significantly increased the conductivity of the test fluids. Preliminary electrochemical testing of 3003 aluminum in inhibited and uninhibited ethylene glycol mixture containing 0.1M NaCl was performed. It was observed that high concentration of sodium chloride adversely affected the corrosion rate of the aluminum in the coolant possibly due to pitting corrosion.
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