Chemical and Mechanical Assessment of Peroxide Cured EPDM for Fuel Cell Gasket Application

Polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cell (PEMFC), as an alternative eco-friendly power generator, utilizes a polymeric gasket to prevent leaking of reactant gases. These gaskets are subjected to mechanical compressive load and exposed to the fuel cell s acidic environments during operation. Therefore, the mechanical and chemical properties of these gaskets may change over time, making the chemical and mechanical evaluation of these gaskets crucial. In this study, the mechanical and chemical properties of peroxide-cured ethylene propylene diene monomer (EPDM) were examined as a PEMFC gasket in an acidic solution simulating a fuel cell environment. Three samples were prepared with different amounts of dicumyl peroxide, and then samples were exposed to an acidic solution at 80 °C for 400 and 800 hours. After aging, a complex trend in the elastomers compression set was observed, which is related to the fluctuation of crosslink density. The rubber with 3 phr curing agent exhibited a 1.83% compression set, and it increased to 2.74% after 800 hours aging, which was selected as a proper PEMFC gasket.