Novel Design of Micro-scale Porous Media in an Electrochemical Cell using 3-D Printed Conductive Ink

Project Description

Electrochemical cells are highly efficient energy conversion devices that convert between chemical energy and electrical energy. Within these cells, porous media that can transport gas, liquid, heat, electron and compression load is an essential component. The commercially available diffusion media is made from randomly oriented carbon fibers that are heterogeneous in nature, which made it difficult to control its properties. In this work, we proposed a 3D printable conductive ink to design novel and tunable geometry for porous media. In this project, we will study conductive ink with different materials, binders, solvents, and additives. The ink flow properties, conductivity and mechanical strength of the final printed porous media will be characterized. Furthermore, we aim to test the 3D printed porous media in a fuel cell environment for proof-of-concept evaluation. The success of this project will provide new insight into additive manufacturing in electrochemical applications.

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