CONDUCTIVE POLYMER COMPOSITE MATERIALS BASED ON FURAN POLYIMINES FOR BIPOLAR FUEL CELL PLATES

Conductive polymer composite materials for bipolar fuel cell plates with a polymer electro-lyte membrane have been successfully prepared using 2,5-diformylfuran synthesized from plant biomass. The composites were prepared using a conductive filler (natural graphite) and polyimines from 2,5-diformylfuran and aromatic and aliphatic diamines (p-phenylenediamine, meta-toluene-diamine, and hexamethylenediamine). The effect of polyimine content and its type on the electri-cally conductive and strength properties of materials has been studied. It is shown that the electrical conductivity of the composite increases with a decrease in the content of the polymer binder, while its mechanical properties change in the reverse order. The best materials were made using polyi-mine based on 2,5-diformylfuran and meta-toluenediamine (MTDA). The lowest value of interfa-cial contact resistance (0.01 Ohm center dot cm2) was shown by composites with 45% vol. binder content, and the highest mechanical strength (compressive and bending 21.8 and 32 MPa, respectively), con-taining 85% vol. polyimine. Sample MTDA-75 has demonstrated an optimal combination of elec-trical conductivity and mechanical properties. The interfacial contact resistance of the composite was 0.04 Ohm center dot cm2, and the strength was 15 and 22.5 MPa for compression and bending, respec-tively. Thus, composites based on polyimines from 2,5-diformylfuran and various diamines and natural graphite as an electrically conductive filler demonstrate great potential for the production of bipolar fuel cell plates with a polymer electrolyte membrane, and correspond to the strategic direction for the development of materials with minimal carbon footprint.