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Fuel cell performance tests for automotive applications include static and dynamic tests, and the dynamic load test is typically carried out to investigate the cell operating performance related to driving behavior in the particular use of fuel cell electric vehicles. The automatic hydrogen flow controller, utilized to regulate the hydrogen flow as a function of time, is one of the imperative apparatuses applied for the dynamic test. The driving behavior generally consists of rapid load fluctuations, several loads running at idle, full power, overload circumstances, start-stop repeats, and cold starting, and these dynamic variations are directly related to the power required for propelling a vehicle and the demand for hydrogen volume fluctuation throughout time. The desired automatic hydrogen flow controller was designed and manufactured for the dynamic performance test via the driving simulation protocol of a heavy-duty vehicle. The main experimental activities were performed to observe the responsibility and accuracy of the invented controller. The relation between the reliability of using the automatic hydrogen flow controller and the performance improvement of fuel cell operation was studied to gain ideas for further fuel cell modification. The hydrogen flow rates controlled by the created flow controller presented a data tolerance of approximately 0.84% which was not significantly different from the theoretical figure based on T-test analysis. The controller reacted to variations in flow rates in as little as 1-2 s, which was acceptable for the dynamic test. Regarding the performance enhancement, this automatic hydrogen flow controller assisted a single cell to generate 16% more power and 33% more energy at 45 mA as a minimum current demand in comparison with the results obtained from a test system using a traditional hydrogen controller with a constant flow rate.

The term elastomer is a curtailment of two words, which are elastic and polymers. Accordingly, elastomers are polymer materials with elasticity. The significant challenges hindering the development of materials for naval applications, similar to other engineering sectors, include achieving a competitive light elastomeric structure. Marine structures are susceptible to various damage responses due to various loads throughout their service life. Being flexible, elastomer has a low modulus of elasticity, exhibits higher values of failure strain and yield strength. In these regards, elastomers are attractive materials for applications that require elasticity because they offer substantial advantages compared to traditional materials. However, the low fire resistance of these elastomeric materials jeopardizes their use in some critical applications. As a result, elastomeric blends and composites containing flame retardant (FR) additives are commonly used. On the other hand, elastomers possess (i) high strength-to-weight ratio, (ii) excellent impact properties, (iii) low infrared, magnetic, and radar signatures, (iv) excellent durability, and (v) high resilience to extreme loads. Hence, the scope of this study focuses on review and awareness regarding the feasibility of marine applications of elastomers/elastomeric composites, their current scientific and technological drawbacks, and future outlooks or prospects to support several applications in the marine industry.

As it produces parts with intricate details and finishes, minimal waste, few stress points, and excellent wall thickness uniformity, rotational moulding is one of the commercial shaping processes for manufacturing polymeric automotive parts. Use of a mould release agent is critical for a demoulding approach in rotational moulding, and the main requirement for typical use of a mould release agent is suitability in work environments at very high temperatures (>200 °C). Surprisingly, Thailand has approximately 2000 mould manufacturers, which can be attributed to the high demand for mould release agents; however, a vast majority of release agents are imported from abroad. This research aims to formulate the semi-permanent water-based release agents for shaping engineering plastics via a rotational moulding process. The main functions of the produced release agent include allowing the resin to become attached to the mould wall during the initial heating phase of the moulding cycle, ensuring that the fully molten skin of the rotomoulded part remains in close contact with the mould wall throughout the heating cycle. The rotomoulded part must remain in close contact with the mould wall during the initial part of the cooling cycle until the part has enough cohesion within its structure to resist collapse when the release process begins. The release agent used to aid in the quick release of rotomoulded parts while minimizing surface abrasion damage. First, chemical characterizations were performed using Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy. Next, processability, surface characteristic, thermal stability, adhesion performance, and rheological characteristic were observed via Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy, contact angle, thermogravimetric analysis, differential scanning calorimetry, adhesion tester, and rheometer, respectively, to inspect the possibility of using the produced release agents for a rotational moulding process. Experimental results confirm successful formulated rotomoulding release agent, however; the repetition of using a release agent needs further improvements for cost reduction.

The commercial viability of fuel cells for vehicle application has been examined in the context of lightweight material options, as well as in combination with improvements in fuel cell powertrain. Investigation into ultra-lightweight bipolar plates (BPs), the main component in terms of the weight effect, is of great importance to enhance energy efficiency. This research aims to fabricate a layered carbon fiber/epoxy composite structure for BPs. Two types of carbon fillers (COOH-MWCNT and COOH-GNP) reinforced with woven carbon fiber sheets (WCFS) have been utilized. The conceptual idea is to reduce molding cycle time by improving the structural, electrical, and mechanical properties of BPs. Reducing the reactive molding cycle time is required for commercial production possibility. The desired crosslink density of 97%, observed at reactive molding time, was reduced by 83% at 140 °C processing temperature. The as-fabricated BPs demonstrate excellent electrical conductivity and mechanical strength that achieved the DOE standard. Under actual fuel cell operation, the as-fabricated BPs show superior performance to commercial furan-based composite BPs in terms of the cell potential and maximum power. This research demonstrates the practical and straightforward way to produce high-performance and reliable BPs with a rapid production rate for actual PEMFC utilization.

A vanadium redox flow battery (VRFB) is a promising large-scale energy storage device, due to its safety, durability, and scalability. The utilization of bipolar plates (BPs), made of thermoplastic vulcanizates (TPVs), synthetic graphite, woven-carbon-fiber fabric (WCFF), and a very thin pyrolytic graphite sheet (GS), is investigated in this study. To boost volumetric electrical conductivity, WCFF was introduced into the TPV composite, and the plate was covered with GS to increase surface electrical conductivity. Created composite BPs acquire the desired electrical conductivity, mechanical strength, and deformation characteristics. Those properties were assessed by a series of characterization experiments, and the morphology was examined using an optical microscope, a scanning electron microscope, and atomic force microscopy. Electrochemical testing was used to confirm the possibility of using the suggested BP in a working VRFB. The laminated BP was utilized in a flow cell to electrolytically convert V(IV) to V(V) and V(II), which achieved comparable results to a commercial graphite bipolar plate. Following these experiments, the laminated bipolar plates’ surfaces were examined using X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, and no evidence of corrosion was found, indicating good durability in the hostile acidic environment.

A single cell of direct methanol fuel cell (DMFC) typically delivers an electrical potential between 0.5 and 1 V; thus DMFCs are assembled in parallel to meet power demands (1–5 kW). Bipolar plates (BPs) are the primary components connecting a single cell to the adjacent cells so that they provide optimum electrical conductivity. The objective of this research is to reduce the volume resistance of BPs made from a polypropylene/carbon composite by utilizing a metal insert technique. A major obstacle when it comes to molding composite plates inserted by a thin metal sheet is the delamination of material layers after the cooling process. The delamination issue is due to different surface polarities between metal and polypropylene-composite surfaces. One of the strategies to solve this issue is to modify the surface of one layer for creating similarity of the surface polarity. A metal sheet surface was coated with graphene using a cold spraying technique to enhance adhesion ability. The suitable spraying conditions were determined by experimenting with varying temperature, pressure, graphene quantity and graphene types. The effectiveness of surface modification by the graphene spraying technique was assessed by a surface morphology observation, an electrical conductivity measurement and DMFC performance tests. Results were interesting, they indicated that when DMFC was assembled with silver sheet, inserted BPs provided 25.13 mW/cm2 of power density, 3,350.7 mWh of generated energy and 67% of efficiency. This highlights that the performance of a BP prototype is superior to the performance of a commercial composite bipolar plate.

In our time with the growing cooling demand in electronics and energy industries, new thermally conductive materials are in high demand. Thermal gasket and thermal interface materials (TIM) are applications acquiring the characteristics of the thermally conductive materials. They are used to offer bonding strength and efficient heat dissipation for heat dissipating device applications. These materials are inserted between two components in order to increase the thermal coupling between them. Elastomeric materials are promising as the thermal gasket and TIM. They are, however, limited for thermal conductivity causing a thermal insulator behaviour. In this framework, the major challenge is to create suitable elastomeric composites for enhancing thermal conductivity, whereas remaining a good elastic behavior. This article presents the effects of thermally conductive fillers (aluminum nitrile and zinc oxide) on thermal properties and flexibility of recycled thermoplastic elastomer vulcanizate composites and reclaimed rubber composites, while the analysis of composite morphology is scrutinized. The objective of this research is to perceive the characteristics of recycled elastomeric composites in order to deduce a fundamental notion to develop the gaskets or TIMs from recycled materials. New flexible composites are capable to provide approximately 0.4 W/m-K of thermal conductivity. The result indicates that the composites are conceivable to be applied for thermally conductive tape or adhesive applications which required the thermal conductivity in the range of 0.4-0.5 W/m-K.

In the cities in the future, seeing electric vehicles on the roads will be as ordinary an occurrence as seeing internal combustion engine cars today. Electric vehicles can greatly benefit from utilizing polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cells (PEMFCs) because they provide higher efficiency (40–50%) and are more environmentally friendly. However, there are some major drawbacks to using PEMFCs as electrical sources in vehicles; these are energy balance and management issues that must be addressed to meet vehicle power and energy requirements. Therefore, it seems that hybridizing PEMFCs with energy storage devices, such as supercapacitors (SCs), would be an efficient solution to address these drawbacks in order to accommodate driving behaviors such as dynamic loads. The goal of this research is, therefore, to demonstrate the use of a PEMFC–SC direct hybridization configuration with a dynamic stress test by simulating driving behavior in urban areas such as Bangkok. This research presents substantial advantages in energy management and voltage and material degradation. In order to achieve this objective, a quasi-static stress profile, including stationary conditions, load variations, and start–stop conditions, was specifically created for PEMFC–SC direct hybridization systems with 840 hours of operating duration. The performance, durability, and reliability of this system were investigated via polarization curves, hysteresis loops, and voltage degradation rates. Then, experimental results were compared to the degradation of the cell components. Any degradation in material components was observed through electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) and morphology studies. The characterization of materials in the PEMFC–SC direct hybridization systems via chemical and electrochemical analyses is an important approach in material invention and modification for the new generation of PEMFCs. This work strives to pave the way for PEMFC hybridization development to achieve effective commercialization.

Global transportation possesses have compelling rationales for reducing the consumption of oil, emissions of carbon dioxide, and noise pollution. Transitions to alternative transportation technologies such as electric vehicles (EVs) have gained increased attention from the automotive industries. A fuel cell electric vehicle (FCEV) occupying a hydrogen engine is one of the most stupendous technologies, since it is suitable for a large-scale transportation. However, its performance limitations are in question due to voltage degradation in long term operations through steady conditions under constant load and dynamic working conditions. Other drawbacks of using fuel cells in EVs are energy balances and management issues necessary for vehicle power and energy requirements. An efficient solution to accommodate driving behavior like dynamic loads comprises of hybridizing PEMFCs with energy storage devices like supercapacitors and batteries. This opening chapter reviews the projected gist of FCEV status; considers the factors that are going to affect how FCEVs could enter commercialization, including the importance of fuel cells for EV technologies; the degradation diagnoses using accelerated stress test (AST) procedures; FCEV hybridization; and the contribution of an energy storage device for charging EVs. The article also addresses case studies relating to material degradation occurring from driving behavior. Information about material degradation can be compiled into a database for the improvement of cell component performance and durability, leading to the creation of new materials and new fuel cell hybridization designs. To support the growth of EV technologies, an energy storage is required for the integrated alternative electricity generations. A redox flow battery is considered as a promising candidate in terms of attractive charging station for EVs or HEVs.

New applications of electronic devices come with integrated functionalization, size diminishment, and ultralight weight. An alternative electricity source is also demanded for effective commercialization of devices. Direct Methanol Fuel Cells (DMFCs) have the potential to play a major role as energy generators for portable applications, thus they can be a choice for new generation electronic devices. Fabricating bipolar plates (BPs) to meet the application requirements is received great attention due to their lightweight and possibility for mass production. This research focused on using polypropylene/carbon filler composites as BP materials, offering a major advantage of mass production by a conventional low-cost injection moulding technique. The purpose of this research is to inspect the feasibility of polypyrrole (PPy) coating on the composite BPs via a chemical polymerization of PPy. To accomplish effective coating, composite BPs were surface-pretreated by UV photografting prior to the PPy coating process. Effects of surface treatment and polymerization conditions, such as time of treatment or polymerization and doping agent, were investigated via physicochemical characterizations using several techniques; Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, contact angle measurement, and scanning electron microscopy. Indispensable determination is an electrical conductivity measurement of the composite BP surfaces. Experimental results confirm successful PPy coating, however; the adhesion test indicates that the surface interaction between the PPy layer and the BP surface needs further improvements before applying the promising BP to commercialization.

A direct methanol fuel cell (DMFC) is predominantly noticeable because it can convert chemical energy directly into electrical energy with higher energy conversion efficiency (∼65%) compared to the efficiency of traditional combustion engines (40%) and with lower emissions. Henceforth, it is one of the new electrical generators that is becoming an important source of cleaner power in modern life. One of the key obstacles in designing and assembling the DMFC is contact resistance between interfaces of fuel cell components. A major source of the contact resistance in the DMFC arises from the contact between gas diffusion layers (GDLs) and the bipolar plates (BPs). A poor interface contact decreases the actual contact area, leading to an electrical voltage drop across these interfaces. Decreasing surface resistivity of BPs is one of the major approaches to reduce contact resistance in fuel cells. Present-day methods use a polypropylene composite as BPs to replace metallic or graphite BPs to reduce the overall weight of the DMFC stack. Unfortunately, polymeric composites typically provide higher surface resistance than the other BPs do. Coating copper on polypropylene composite plates was strategically manipulated by an electroless deposition (ELD) technique to decrease surface resistance. The coating process consists of pretreatment, adhesion improvement, and electroless deposition. Prior to ELD, the surfaces of the composite plates were treated by plasma treatment and then silanization was conducted using N-3-(trimetylpropylsilyl)diethylenetriamine (TMS) to improve adhesion. Palladium(II) chloride (PdCl2) was used as a catalyst for the ELD process. Successful modification of the surfaces was confirmed by morphology investigation via scanning electron microscopy, diagnoses of chemical surface characteristics using ATR-Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (ATR-FTIR) and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), physical surface characterizations with a contact angle measurement, electrical conductivity measurements, and surface adhesion test, while also observing corrosion behavior. In order to complete a viability study of using modified copper-coated BP for the DMFC, an in situ cell performance test was conducted. The results of the experiments pave the way for a feasible modification of the BP surfaces to be considered as suitable BPs for usage in fuel cells.

Polypropylene/three-carbon-filler composite bipolar plates (BPs) of direct methanol fuel cell (DMFC) were fabricated by an injection molding. The composite materials were made of polypropylene (PP), carbon black, carbon fiber and graphite. Gas flow channel surfaces on the BPs were subsequently modified by polypyrrole (PPy) using a coating technique in order to improve surface electrical conductivity. This research is a feasibility study to use PPy-coated PP composite as BPs in a DMFC. The surface electrical resistance and performance in a fuel cell containing the composite BPs under DMFC operating conditions were evaluated against conventional graphite BPs. The surface resistance values of PPy-coated PP composites decreased around six orders of magnitude, compared with those values of PP composites. According to the performance results, PPy-coated composite BPs can be used in DMFC if the surface adhesion between a PPy layer and the BP surface was further improved.

The scratch damage resistance and impact strength of PMMA sheets are necessary factors that have to be concerned by manufacturers. The aim of this work is to investigate the influences of silica (Si) from tetraethoxysilane on scratch damage resistance of the sheet surfaces for optical applications. The polymeric composites including PMMA, polyurethane (PU) and Si were produced via a bulk polymerization in a casting process. The technique creates semi-interpenetrating polymer networks (IPNs) between PMMA and PU. The percentage of IPNs and surface morphology of the composite sheets were observed. Furthermore, scratch resistance, impact strength, ultraviolet and thermal degradations of PMMA-PU-Si sheets were measured and compared with those of neat PMMA-PU sheets. The results revealed that the optimal Si amount (0.039 phr) provided 2B of the scratch resistance (2B of pencil range). This composite formula gave the highest impact values of 24.27 kJ/m2 for an Izod type and 24.94 kJ/m2 for a Charpy type. Composite sheets showed increases in ultraviolet and heat resistance by increasing the content of Si. However, the PMMA-PU-Si sheets were useable at temperature lower than 180 ⁰C.

An original equipment market (OEM) in Thailand mainly imports thermoplastic vulcanizates (TPV) from abroad that leads to a high manufacturing cost. To reduce the cost and to create value-added products from a plastic scrap, therefore, this research aim is to observe a possibility of using TPV and recycled polypropylene (rPP) blends as a raw material for OEM. The blends with various rPP loadings were successfully prepared through a traditional twin-screw extruder. Proportions between TPV and rPP were adjusted to determine the optimal flow and mechanical properties for productions of different auto parts. The blends were tested for studying rheology and mechanical properties: tensile; hardness; flexural; and creep behavior. All tests resulted in discussions about the feasibility of using TPV/rPP blends with respect to auto part specifications in real applications. Test results suggested that the TPV/rPP blends meet the requirements of specific automotive applications. Thermal property and morphological analysis were also carried out to have more understanding about changes in mechanical properties.

This research focused on the utilization of waste mushroom beds (WMB) after the harvesting of oyster (WMB-O) and lingzhi mushrooms (WMB-L) for the preparation of eco-friendly materials, fiber sheets. The WMB were sterilized and determined for their chemical compositions. The dry fiber of the sterilized WMB were pretreated by a steam explosion, comparing with alkaline pretreatment before the fiber sheet forming process. The results showed that f-cellulose contents of the WMB were in the range of 27-35% by dry weight basis. The fiber from WMB-L treated by alkaline at 13.5% w/w of NaOH for 120 min showed better fiber sheet appearance, compared to the steam explosion. Afterward, tapioca starch was added as a natural binder during the fiber sheet forming and their physical properties were determined. The analytical results indicated that an increase of NaOH concentration in the pretreatment led to an increase in the toughness and water absorption of the fiber sheet. The additional tapioca starch promoted the interaction between cellulose fiber networks, corresponding to the decrease of water absorption and a compressed appearance after water immersion. These finding results disclosed a potential use of the WMB as ecofriendly materials, e.g. biodegradable packaging, packing materials, cultivation vase in the future.

To reduce the bipolar plate weight and keep the desired power density of a low temperature fuel cell, thermoplastic composite bipolar plates have been fabricated for low temperature fuel cell applications. Concerns over material weight, electrical conductivity, mechanical properties, and injection processability of the thermoplastic nanocomposites have brought forth the idea of producing a polypropylene/graphene nanocomposite for an injection moulded bipolar plate application. In this article, the properties of produced polypropylene/graphene nanocomposites were also compared with the properties of polypropylene/graphite composites to assess the feasibility for using polypropylene/graphene nanocomposites as a bipolar plate material. The effects of graphene contents and sizes on electrical conductivity and mechanical properties were reported in this work. Moreover, the obtained results were discussed in terms of morphology and state of dispersion and distribution of the graphene within the polypropylene matrix. This work is a preliminary study that offers insight into the material selection and development for low temperature fuel cells toward the ultimate goal of broad commercialization.

Ceramic foams are prepared as positive images corresponding to a plastic foam structure which exhibits high porosities (85–90%). This structure makes the ceramic foams attractive as a catalyst in a dry reforming process, because it could reduce a high pressure drop problem. This problem causes low mass and heat transfers in the process. Furthermore, the reactants would shortly contact to catalyst surface, thus low conversion could occur. Therefore, this research addressed the preparation of dry reforming catalysts using a sol-gel catalyst preparation via a polymeric sponge method. The specific objectives of this work are to investigate the effects of polymer foam structure (such as porosity, pore sizes, and cell characteristics) on a catalyst performance and to observe the influences of catalyst preparation parameters to yield a replica of the original structure of polymeric foam. To accomplish these objectives industrial waste foams, polyurethane (PU) and polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) foams, were used as a polymeric template. Results indicated that the porosity of the polyurethane and polyvinyl alcohol foams were about 99% and 97%. Their average cell sizes were approximate 200 and 50 micrometres, respectively. The cell characteristics of polymer foams exhibited the character of a high permeability material that can be able to dip with ceramic slurry, which was synthesized with various viscosities, during a catalyst preparation step. Next, morphology of ceramic foams was explored using scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and catalyst properties, such as; temperature profile of catalyst reduction, metal dispersion, and surface area, were also characterized by H2TPR and H2-TPD techniques, and BET, respectively. From the results, it was found that metal-particle dispersion was relatively high about 5.89%, whereas the surface area of ceramic foam catalysts was 64.52 m 2 /g. Finally, the catalytic behaviour toward hydrogen production through the dry reforming of methane using a fixed-bed reactor was evaluated under certain operating conditions. The approaches from this research provide a direction for further improvement of marketable environmental friendly catalyst production.

Bipolar plates have been manufactured by different techniques, such as high performance drilling, compression molding, metal stamping, and injection molding processes. The bipolar plates should be produced via a standard mass production technique in a one-step process, since this can reduce the cost structure of fuel cell stacks, significantly contributed by the bipolar plates. Polypropylene/three-carbon-filler composites were selected for bipolar plate production through an injection molding process for this research work. Although the conductive injection moldable composites can be produced for a bipolar plate application, their electrical conductivity, especially through plane conductivity, has not yet achieved a commercial target. For that reason, a simulation of fiber orientation in an injecting plaque using the finite element simulation program Moldex 3D was carried out with the support of Compuplast Canada Inc. to investigate the effect of an injection flow on fiber orientation in conductive networks. Even the simulation output cannot clearly elucidate the orientation of carbon fibers in the composites containing hybrid fillers as the experimental results showed. Further improvements in the development of conductive networks in injected composite bipolar plates can be achieved, for example, through tailoring of a particular injection mold geometry for the bipolar plate production.

Low density polyethylene (LDPE) containing activated carbon (AC) was foamed with azodicarbonamide (ADC), an exothermic chemical foaming agent, through an extrusion process. The effects of ADC and AC contents on the cellular structure, density, void fraction, and mechanical properties of LDPE-AC composite foams were investigated. The density of composite foams decreased but the void fraction increased as the content of ADC increased due to higher gas liberation. Moreover, the large cell size was also observed in composite foams with high amount of ADC. At low AC dosages (5-10 wt%), the density of composite foams decreased with increasing the void fraction compared to the composite foam without AC because more foaming nucleation centers was induced by adding AC in the composite foam leading to more gas bubble generation. However, the addition of AC up to 15-20 wt% decreased the cell formation and the average cell size tended to decrease with increasing AC content. This attributed to AC particles that assisted to generate more foaming nucleation sites in the polymer matrix, resulting in high viscosity, which enhanced the resistance against cell growth and produced cells with smaller dimensions. Maximum reduction of density by 30% with the void fraction of 30% was achieved when ADC and AC were applied at 7 wt% and 10 wt%, respectively. Larger content of ADC and AC led to composite foams with lower tensile properties as well as impact strength, because of the formation of thinner cell walls, AC agglomeration, and the reduction of polymer matrix.

Electrical conductivity is one of the most important properties of bipolar plates (BPs). It is, therefore, important to identify possible factors that have a significant effect on bipolar plate electrical resistance measurement techniques. A method for measuring the resistance of conductive thermoplastic BPs for polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cells is described. The major goals of this research are to identify the factors affecting electrical resistance measurements. For BPs made of the same material, dimensional factors such as surface area, thickness and the ratio of surface area over thickness (S/T) could have significant effects on BP resistance measurements. Electrical contact resistance between a gas diffusion layer and a BP is another factor affecting the BP resistance measurement in addition to the surface area and S/T ratio. All these factors can affect the measured resistance and change the result even with the same material. External factors such as clamping pressure applied on the measured BP also reduce the interfacial contact resistance significantly.

This research evaluated a catalyst activity for hydrodesulfurization (HDS) of a petroleum fraction and the mixture of partially hydrodeoxygenated bio-oil (HBO), which was hydrodeoxygenated woody tar (HWT) and the petroleum fraction, which was light gas oil. As results, 340oC of reaction temperature and 2 hours of reaction period provide positive influence on the catalyst activity. Oxygen and nitrogen compounds in bio-oil exhibit an inhibiting effect on the HDS. Synthesized catalysts supported on titanium-rich and pure titania carriers indicate higher activity than those supported on pure alumina, since TiO 2 acts as an electronic promoter in catalysts. The electronic promotion of Mo by Ti has a limitation, accordingly, 310CoMoAT (1:0.75) catalyst presents the best catalytic behavior. The approach from this research can contribute a direction for further improvement of co-processing bio-oil productions as a sustainable fuel invention.

The polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cell (PEMFC) holds tremendous promise for a variety of mobile and stationary power generation applications and is the cornerstone of the anticipated hydrogen economy. One of the major factors limiting fuel cell commercialization is the development of bipolar plates since bipolar plates account for approximately 70% of the PEMFC weight, and 60% of the stack manufacturing and materials cost. The objective of this research is to investigate a feasibility of a conductive composite family to be used as bipolar plates in a PEMFC, in order to get the highly conductive, light weight, and low cost bipolar plates. This work utilized a combination of a polypropylene and low cost conductive filler materials: graphite, conductive carbon black, and carbon fibers. The components were combined in a batch mixer and injection molded into samples for testing with loadings up to 65%wt of fillers. The novel blends were tested for electrical conductivity, hydrophobicity, rheology, and actual plates (16 cm 2 ) were tested in fuel cell testing trials. The impact of different types of fillers on the composite properties was evaluated, as well as the synergetic effect of mixtures of fill types within a polypropylene matrix. From the results, the highest conductivity, 1900 S/m (in-plane) and 156 S/m (through plane), was obtained with the 65% composite. Moreover, the effects of additives such as coupling agents, and intrinsically conductive polymer (polypyrrole) were observed in this work. The electrical conductivity was influenced by polypyrrole added to the polypropylene composite.

Polymer composite materials have particular properties that meet special requirements. A conductive polymer composite is positioned to play an increasingly significant role in industry and academia, specifically in the area of electrical conductivity. Even general knowledge about electrically conductive composites has been available for many years, less attention has been given in the literature to the use of conductive composites for alternative energy production. Why is the use of composite materials for energy production interesting? With a continued growth in the worldwide demand for energy, there is increasing interest in alternative technologies of energy generation such as fuel cells, for various stationary and mobile applications. In this chapter, the authors are mainly interested in a fuel cell as an energy generator, since a fuel cell is expected to play a major role in the economy of this century and for the foreseeable future. A number of factors provide the incentive for fuel cells to play a role in future energy supplies and for transportations, including climate change, oil dependency and energy security, urban air quality, and growth in distributed power generation [1]. A polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cell (PEMFC) is a good contender for portable and automotive propulsion applications because it provides high power density, solid state construction, high chemical-to-electrical energy conversion efficiency, near zero environmental emissions, low temperature operation (60 120 oC), and fast and easy startup [2,3, and 4]. The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) has also identified the polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cells as the main candidate to replace the internal combustion engine in transportation applications [2]; however, barriers to commercialization remain. Fundamental technical challenges facing the commercialization of PEM fuel cells are manufacturing and material costs; material durability and reliability; and hydrogen storage and distribution issues [4, 5, and 6]. One of the major factors limiting fuel cell commercialization is the development of bipolar plates, which are one of PEMFC’s key components. Bipolar plate characteristic requirements are a challenge for any class of materials, and none fits the profile characteristics exactly. Therefore, research on materials, designs and fabrications of bipolar plates for PEMFC applications is a vital issue for scientists and engineers wanting to achieve the appropriate PEMFC for global commercialization. Several types of materials are