Radiotracer Evaluation of the Contribution of Degradation Products of Phenolic Resins to the Poisoning of Electrodes in the 190 C Hydrogen/Air Fuel Cell

摘要

Improved procedures have been developed for the fabrication of powdered graphite/phenol-formaldehyde resin bipolar plates, which result in greatly improved resistance of the plates to attack by 190 C H3PO4. Static ageing tests of graphite-resin composites demonstrated that very low H3PO4 corrosion rates could be obtained and that essentially all plate etching occurred during the first 300 hours of test. Two miniature (2 in. x 2 in.) hydrogen-air fuel cells, with Carbon-14 labelled phenolic resin in the bipolar plates, were successfully operated for 1300 hours each. Post-operation radiochemical analysis showed no radioactivity present on the anode or cathode of either cell, thus indicating that phenolic degradation products could not have contributed to any electro-catalyst poisoning during these two runs.