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Polymer Electrolyte Fuel Cell (PEFC) is an environmentally friendly device that generates electricity with zero emissions. A constitutive part of PEFCs is the bipolar plate (BP), which offers mechanical support and distributes its reactant gases. In relation, manufacturing electrically conductive BPs at low cost is needed to position PEFC technology on the market. This work summarizes the processing methods of Epoxy-graphite based compounds in order to get better-synthetized samples. First, the applying of an epoxy-amine matrix composed of bisphenol A diglycidyl ether (DGEBA) and aliphatic triglycidyl ether epoxy resins cured with a polyether triamine is presented. Next, two different preparations to obtain high quality expanded graphite focuses on an appropriate graphite exfoliation were evaluated. Subsequently, three processes from graphite-resin compounds synthesis are detailed and analyzed based on Energy Dispersive X-ray Spectroscopy (EDS), Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM), electrical conductivity tests, and particle size characterization. Besides, the effect of using different secondary fillers such as Carbon Black (CB), Graphite nanoplatelets (N99), and graphene (GR) is shown, concluding that the greater electrical conductivity is obtained using graphene in low percentages (0.5%), reaching 65.39 s.cm−1. Finally, a functional method of compression and extraction to avoid damage to the specimen is proposed.

Analyzing the fluid behavior in complex porous media like gas diffusion layers (GDLs) in polymer electrolyte fuel cells (PEFCs) can be accurately done using the lattice Boltzmann method (LBM). This article shows the data obtained from a study in which diffusion parameters such as porosity, gas phase tortuosity and diffusibility are computed considering simulated porous media [1]. The data were computed when a water drop obstacle is placed inside the GDL domain and the size of the water-drop is varied. Additionally, figures showing the evolution of the flow velocity field are presented alongside graphics that presents the change in local and bulk porosity for each obstacle size. Finally, there is a detailed method explanation concerning the implementation of the lattice Boltzmann method and a general description of computational codes for the domain and obstacle generation as well as the boundary conditions simulation. Data and processes in this article can be exploited in new attempts to solve real case problems in complex mesoscale media.

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