Journal of Thermal Engineering INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE ON ENERGY SYSTEMS ISTANBUL 2015 - ICES’15 23-25 December 2015, Yildiz Technical University, Istanbul, Turkey EXPERIMENTAL INVESTIGATION OF PERFORMANCE ANODE SIDE OF PEM FUEL CELL WITH ELECTROSPIN METHOD COATED WITH CARBON NANOTUBE *Sadık ATA KTO Karatay University Konya, Turkey Kevser DİNCER Selcuk University Konya, Turkey Yavuz TÜRKEL Selcuk University Konya, Turkey Keywords: Fuel Cell, Polymer Electrolyte Membrane, Carbon Nanotube * Corresponding author: Sadk Ata, Phone:+905072930387 E-mail address: sadik.ata@karatay.edu.tr ABSTRACT In this study, performance of proton exchange membrane (PEM) fuel cell was experimentally investigated. The efficiency of energy conversion in PEM fuel cells is dependent on the catalytic activities of the catalysts used in the cathode and anode of membrane electrode assemblies. Membrane is considered the heart of PEM fuel cells without which they cannot produce electricity. Coating on the anode side of the PEM fuel cell was accomplished with the electrospin method by using carbon nanotube (CNT). CNT show a unique combination of stiffness, strength, and tenacity compared to other fiber materials which usually lack one or more of these properties. In the experimental study, current, voltage and power performances before and after coating were recorded and then compared to each other. It was found that the efficiency of PEM fuel cell increases after the coating with CNT. INTRODUCTION Hydrogen and electricity are often considered as complementary energy carriers for the future. Hydrogen has some unique properties, which in conjunction with electricity make it an ideal energy carrier or fuel. Just as electricity hydrogen can be produced from any energy source, including the renewable energy sources. Hydrogen can be produced from electricity and can be converted into electricity at relatively high efficiencies. Some processes for hydrogen production directly from solar energy are also being developed, such as photo-electro-chemical conversion or biological photo- production. Raw material for hydrogen production is water, which is available in abundance. Hydrogen is a completely renewable fuel, since the product of hydrogen utilization (either through combustion or through chemico-electrical conversion) is pure water or water vapor [1]. In the PEM fuel cell, hydrogen reacts with oxygen to produce electric energy, heat, and water. The operating principle of the fuel cell is that electrons and decomposed hydrogen ions move from the anode toward the cathode through a membrane and the oxygen in the cathode accepts the electrons before reacting with the hydrogen ions that came from the anode through the membrane to produce water [2]. Fuel cell membrane have relatively high proton conductivity, it provide a barrier to mixing of fuel and reactant gases. Electrode is essentially made of a thin catalyst layer pressed between the ionomer membrane and a porous electrically conductive substrate. GDL plays crucial role in PEM fuel cell, it distribute the reactant gases homogeneously from the flow field to the catalyst layer through it for the electrochemical reaction. The Bipolar separator/collector connect the cell electrically in series in fuel cell stack, it also separate the gases in adjacent cell. It is generally made of two families of material which are graphite composite and metallic [3]. Membrane refers to a thin layer of electrolyte which conducts protons from the anode to the cathode. Desirable membrane materials are those that exhibit high ionic conductivity, while preventing electron transport and the cross- 426 398