Homebrew

Although the fuel cell described produces a relatively

Making low voltage, several fuel cells of this kind can be wired
in series to produce higher voltages and do useful
work.

Electricity Homebrew
The PEM Material
The PEM (proton exchange membrane) material is a
perfluorosulfonic acid polymer film. Several
manufacturers make PEMs in one form or another. We

with Hydrogen used one made by du Pont called Nafion 117. Nafion
117 is a transparent polymer film about 175 microns
(0.007 inches) thick. Dow Chemical Co., Asahi
Walt Pyle, Alan Spivak, Reynaldo Chemical Co., and Chloride Engineers Ltd. make
something similar. A patent describing how one PEM
Cortez, and Jim Healy manufacturer’s film is processed is listed in the
© 1993 Walt Pyle references section at the end of this article.
gas fed battery that never needs

A
The basic structural unit formula for Nafion 117 is
recharging! This article shown below:
describes a process for building CF2 = CFOCF2CFOCF2CF2SO3H
a fuel cell using tools and techniques \
CF3
any skilled hobbyist with a well- Nafion 117 contains fluorine, carbon, oxygen, sulfur,
equipped shop can duplicate. The fuel and hydrogen arranged in repeating polymer
cell that we built can produce direct molecules. The hydrogen atom on the SO3 part of the
molecule can detach from one SO3 site. The free H+
current electricity from stored hydrogen proton can hop from SO3 site to SO3 site through the
and oxygen. We obtained the hydrogen material, to emerge on the other side of the membrane.
This is the reason it is called a proton exchange
for this fuel cell commercially but plan membrane. It can be thought of as solid sulfuric acid,
to produce hydrogen and oxygen from an electrolyte.
a renewable energy system based on The PEM is relatively expensive at this point in time.
solar photovoltaics and water We paid about $100 for a 30.5 centimeter by 30.5
centimeter (12 inch by 12 inch) piece of Nafion 117
electrolyzers. from a chemical supply house. Some manufacturers
want your first born child in exchange for a sample.
Cookbook Approach to Building a Fuel Cell
However, du Pont really is in the PEM business, and
In this article we reveal the process we used to make a
they will sell it to you with no strings attached from their
proton exchange membrane (PEM) fuel cell.
pilot plant production. The price comes down to about
First, we describe what the PEM material is, and where $65 for the same size piece when you buy four times
to get it. Then we cover the steps necessary for as much PEM direct from du Pont. The piece we
preparing the membrane to use it in a fuel cell. bought was large enough to make about six of our
Next, we describe the catalyst and binders used on round fuel cells ($10–$16/cell).
both sides of the PEM and the method of “hot- Punching the PEM Disk from a Sheet of Nafion 117
pressing” them all together to form the single fuel cell We set the sheet of Nafion 117 on a piece of clean
catalyst-PEM-catalyst “sandwich”. acrylic plastic using clean cotton gloves to avoid
Finally, the holder for the catalyzed PEM fuel cell with contaminating the sheet with fingerprints. Then we
its gas supply piping, insulators, and wiring studs is punched out some round PEM disks using a 4.76
shown. centimeter (1 7⁄8 inch) arch punch and a mechanics
hammer filled with lead powder. After one or two tries,
Some PEM fuel cell performance data were obtained
we found that several strikes with the hammer at
using an electrical resistor to provide a variable load.
different angles was best for cutting the disk free from
Two digital multimeters and a shunt resistor were used
the sheet. Striking the punch too hard shattered the
to measure the voltage and current, so we could
acrylic sheet.
calculate the power produced.

42 Home Power #35 • June / July 1993

 Homebrew

Above: Solutions in beakers on top of stove.

Photo by Reynaldo Cortez

Beaker 4 = 100 milliliters distilled water [rinse

sulfuric acid from surface and hydrate PEM].
Beaker 5 = 100 milliliters distilled water [repeat
rinse].
Beaker 6 = 100 milliliters distilled water [repeat
rinse].
While the PEM disk is in a beaker, there may be a
Above: Punching PEM from sheet with arch punch.
Photo by Reynaldo Cortez tendency for the film to curl and lift on the steam
bubbles, rising to the surface. It should be kept
Handle the PEM with tweezers or forceps to prevent submerged so the top side doesn’t get exposed to air.
contamination. We used a pair of stainless steel Use a clean inert polyethylene plastic or glass probe to
tweezers which were ground flat and polished on the keep it down in the dipping solution.
grasping faces to eliminate burrs and prevent We used a Taylor candy thermometer for controlling
puncturing or denting the soft PEM. Grasp the PEM the beaker bath temperature, and adjusted the gas
disks only on the outer peripheral edge, never on the stove burner controls as needed. From time to time,
inner active area. more water had to be added to the bath surrounding
Preparing the PEM for Catalyst Application the beakers, due to evaporation.
We prepared the film for catalyst application by dipping After the PEM disk was dipped in each of the six hot
it in six different heated solutions in glass beakers. The solution beakers for an hour, it was then wiped with a
solutions were all held at 80°C (176°F) by immersing piece of lint-free lens cleaning tissue, and air-dried in a
the beakers in a heated pan of water on top of two gas clean place.
stove burners as shown above right. The Catalyst Layer Material
Each beaker held the PEM film for one hour in The catalyst layer is the most expensive part of this
sequence. Use safety glasses and gloves while fuel cell. It is made from a mixture of platinum, carbon
working with the solutions. The sequence of beakers powder, and PEM powder, bonded to a conductive
used to dip the PEM was set up as follows: carbon fiber cloth. We obtained ours from E-Tek Inc.
Beaker 1 = 100 milliliters of distilled water [hydrate The cost for an order of their ELAT catalyst cloth sheet
the membrane and dissolve surface contaminants]. includes a setup charge. So get together with others
for a larger order if you want to keep costs down. We
Beaker 2 = 100 milliliters of 3% hydrogen peroxide paid $360 for a piece of ELAT 15.2 centimeters by
solution (USP) [remove organic contaminants from 15.2 centimeters [6 inches by 6 inches] including the
PEM surface]. $150 setup charge. This piece provides enough for
Beaker 3 = 100 milliliters of sulfuric acid (new about twelve disks. Each fuel cell requires two disks of
battery electrolyte) [remove metal ion contaminants ELAT and one larger disk of PEM to make the
from PEM surface, and sulfonate the PEM surface]. sandwich, so you can make six cells from this size

Home Power #35 • June / July 1993 43

 Homebrew

piece of ELAT ($60/cell). The cost may have come Next, we coated the heating plates with graphite from a
down by now due to increased production at E-Tek. number two pencil and smoothed it out with a Q-tip to
In the future it may be possible to reduce the cost by make a release and contamination shield layer. The
putting the catalyst coating directly on the PEM with a three layers (catalyst-PEM-catalyst) of the sandwich
platinum-carbon ink, as practiced by Los Alamos were then set on top of the lower heating plate. After
National Laboratory. carefully aligning the layers, so that the smaller catalyst
disks were centered above and below the larger PEM
Preparing the ELAT Catalyst/Binder Layers disk, the upper heating plate was placed on top of the
Two catalyst layer disks were punched from an E-Tek sandwich. At this time the heaters were off and the
ELAT sheet. The sheet was placed on clean acrylic plates were at room temperature.
plastic and the disks were punched with a 3.8
centimeter (1.5 inch) arch punch and the mechanics
hammer.

Above: Cutting ELAT catalyst disks.

Photo by Reynaldo Cortez

Be careful to keep track of which side is the active side

of the catalyst impregnated carbon cloth. The active
side has more of the carbon-platinum binder powder
and is smoother.
Hot-Pressing the Sandwich Together
A hot press was made using a hydraulic 20 ton shop
press, and two homemade aluminum heating plates.
Above: Hot press and heating plates.
Each heating plate was drilled to accept an electric Photo by Reynaldo Cortez
cartridge heater and a thermocouple. A temperature
controller was connected to the heater and Next, the two temperature controllers were activated
thermocouple on each heating plate. and the sandwich was taken up to 90°C (194°F) for
The bottle jack on the hydraulic press was drilled and one hour to evaporate the solvents from the liquid
tapped to accept a 1⁄4 inch NPT pipe to connect to a Nafion 117 catalyst coating. The temperature was then
pressure gauge. raised to 130°C (266°F) over the next 30 minutes. This
is the PEM glass transition temperature.
Procedure for Hot Pressing
First, two ELAT catalyst disks were coated with liquid Once the heating plates and the sandwich reached
Nafion 117. The coating only went on the active side 130°C, pressure was applied using the hydraulic jack,
that was to be bonded to the PEM. We used a up to 2.16 MPa (300 psig). Shortly thereafter, the
cosmetic brush to put on a single coat (thick enough to pressure fell off as the PEM was squeezed by the
give a wet appearance) then let it air dry at room heated plates and the sandwich became thinner.
temperature in a clean place for one hour. The liquid After two minutes at temperature and pressure, the
Nafion 117 has a strong alcohol odor, so do this temperature controllers were turned off and the plates
coating process in a well-ventilated area. and sandwich cooled to room temperature.

44 Home Power #35 • June / July 1993

 Homebrew

Fuel Cell Membrane Test Fixture

Diagram by Alan Spivak

The heater plates were opened, and the finished fuel A groove for an “O” ring was machined into each half
cell sandwich was removed using the special tweezers. of the case, to provide a seal to prevent the gases from
We noted that the PEM disk was no longer round, but leaking around the edges of the gas distribution plates.
instead somewhat elliptical. This may be due to Kapton tape was applied to the inside diameter of one
alignment of the film molecules in one preferential case to insulate it from the other. Kapton tape was also
direction. The fuel cell sandwich did not stick to the applied to the outer diameter of the mating case to
aluminum heater plates, so the graphite release insulate the retaining ring and prevent the two cases
coating appeared to be effective. from shorting together. An ohm-meter was used to
Fuel Cell Test Fixture assure that the two cases were well-insulated from one
Our fuel cell test fixture was made from a commercially another.
available membrane filter holder. We spot-welded The PEM sandwich was trimmed with a pair of scissors
electrode studs to the two halves of the fixture case, one until it was round again, and placed between the filter
for the hydrogen side and one for the oxygen (air) side.

Home Power #35 • June / July 1993 45

 Homebrew

Above: Fuel cell disassembled, showing a gas Above: Fuel cell assembled.
distribution plate on the left. Photo by Reynaldo Cortez Photo by Reynaldo Cortez

holder’s two stainless steel gas distribution plates to

make a five layered sandwich. The five-layered
sandwich was then dropped into the Kapton lined case
and the other case (with the Kapton on the outside)
was applied on top and attached by the threaded
retainer ring.
Fuel Cell Load Test System
An electrical testing load system was prepared as
shown below using two variable resistance
potentiometers rated at 0 to 1.0 ohm at 25 watts, a
current measuring shunt, and two digital multimeters.

Above: Electrical test system. The four fixed resistors

were not used. Photo by Reynaldo Cortez

Hydrogen Humidification Bubbler

A hydrogen humidification bubbler was made to
prevent the fuel cell PEM from dehydrating under load.
Moisture management in the PEM is an engineering
challenge, due to ohmic heating when high currents
flow, and osmotic drag of moisture towards the oxygen
side of the sandwich. The osmotic drag is caused by Above: H2 humidification bubbler.
the migration of protons through the PEM. Photo by Walt Pyle

46 Home Power #35 • June / July 1993

 Homebrew

We made the bubbler out of a 30.5 centimeter (12 PEM Fuel Cell Test Results
inch) length of 5.08 centimeter (2 inch) outside
1.0
diameter, 1⁄4 inch wall, acrylic tubing, and two 5.08
centimeter (2 inch) lengths of 7.6 centimeter (3 inch)
0.8
diameter acrylic round bar stock. The round bar stock
pieces were then machined to accept the length of

Volts DC
0.6
tubing and glued together, using acrylic cement.
Holes were tapped in the center of each piece of bar 0.4
stock to accept 1⁄4 inch NPT pipe, and a Kordon Mist Air
aquarium bubbler was glued into a smaller hole on the 0.2
bottom inside of the bubbler.
First Test Results 0.0
Our first test was made on our fuel cell at the Schatz 0.0 0.2 0.4 0.6 0.8 1.0 1.2 1.4 1.6
Fuel Cell Laboratory at Humboldt State University
Amperes
during January 1993. Leak testing was done by setting
the fuel cell test fixture in a container of water. We H2 pressure = 10 psig; Air pressure = atmospheric
applied atmospheric air pressure and hydrogen
pressure (approximately 100 KPa (14.5 psig)) and
on both sides of the cell is a major challenge. On the
found significant leakage of hydrogen around the
hydrogen side, the PEM must be kept damp so it won’t
edges of the sandwich. The open circuit voltage of the
crack, and short or leak. On the oxygen side, water is
fuel cell was almost zero, because the hydrogen was
produced which must be removed so the ELAT catalyst
leaking into the air side. With the help of the Humboldt
won’t “drown” and get starved for oxygen.
State wizards, however, a piece of tubing was inserted
into the air fitting. Blowing air into the tubing flushed We plan to try some experiments with oxygen instead
out the leaking hydrogen through the annulus and of air on the anode side. Wick-like materials will be
provided oxygen. This gave an open circuit voltage of tried for passively absorbing and transporting water to
0.68 Volts, showing us that we had a functional but the PEM and transporting water from the ELAT anode
very leaky cell. catalyst.
If At First You Don’t Succeed.... Ultimately, we’d like to have a 12 Volt or 24 Volt fuel
Following our visit to the Schatz Lab, we went back to cell that could be used in the home to power a 2 kW
the drawing board and added the “O” ring seals to the inverter for supplying 120 Volts, 50/60 Hz alternating
case. In March 1993, the cases were machined to current. Batteries would be eliminated, and solar
accept the “O” rings and we were ready to try again. energy would be stored as hydrogen and oxygen in
Another dip in the water container with 200 KPa (30 tanks until it was needed. Others are dreaming of
psig) hydrogen pressure showed that the leaks in the PEMFC cars, and locomotives. As we go to press,
fuel cell test fixture had been stopped. Ballard Battery Co. in Vancouver B.C. is driving a fuel
cell powered bus around the parking lot!
Another series of tests were run on our shop
resistance load tester. This time, the open circuit Please let us hear from you if you have any
voltage reached 0.95 Volts. Using the Humboldt tubing suggestions for improvements or new experience to
and annulus flushing technique on the air side, we share. We don’t want to squirrel this technology away;
were able to prevent the nitrogen gas from we’d rather set it free!
concentrating inside the cell (as the oxygen was Hydrogen Safety Considerations
consumed from the air). We obtained a short circuit For a more thorough discussion of the safety
current of over 1.5 Amperes for short periods of time consciousness one should develop when working with
(minutes). And then, by varying the load resistance we hydrogen, see our article on “Heatin’ with Hydrogen”
obtained data at different operating voltages and (Home Power #34). The bottom line is:
currents for the cell. Sustained power output was Work with hydrogen out of doors or in a well-
limited, we think, by poor moisture control on the ventilated area.
cathode (too dry) or anode (too wet). A graph of the
Store only pure hydrogen or oxygen, never mixtures
current-voltage response of the cell is shown above.
of gases.
Future Direction Remember the explosive mixture limits are wide and
This saga has only just begun, and we are learning different from other fuels: even very rich hydrogen-
some valuable lessons as we go. Water management air or hydrogen-oxygen mixtures can burn violently.

Home Power #35 • June / July 1993 47

 Homebrew

Access Nafion 117 solution (Nafion perfluorinated ion-exchange

Authors: Walt Pyle, WA6DUR, Richmond, CA • 510- powder 5% mixture of lower aliphatic alcohols and 10%
237-7877 water d 0.874): Aldrich Chemical Co., Catalog No. 27,470-4 •
800-558-9160
Alan Spivak, KC6JZN, Berkeley, CA • 510-525-4082
Nafion 117 PEM (orders greater than 0.61 m by 0.61 m [24
Reynaldo Cortez, Richmond, CA • 510-237-9748 inches by 24 inches] or larger): I.E. du Pont de Nemours &
Jim Healy, WH6LZ, Richmond, CA • 510-236-6745 Co., Customer Service Dept. • 302-695-5249

References Catalyst/Binder Materials

U.S. Patent No. 4,661,411, “Method For Depositing A ELAT Solid Polymer Electrolyte Electrode 20% Pt/C with 0.4
Fluorocarbonsulfonic Acid Polymer From A Solution” April mg/cm2 Pt loading: E-Tek, Inc., 1 Mountain Rd, Framingham
28, 1987; Inventors: C.W. Martin, B.R. Ezzell, J.D. Weaver; Industrial Park, Framingham, MA 01701 • 508-879-0733
Assigned to Dow Chemical Co., Midland, MI Test Fixture
Acknowledgements for Articles and Discussions Stainless Steel In-line Filter Holder: Catalog No. L-02929-20
Supramaniam Srinivasan, A.C. Ferreira, Imran J. Kakwan, (47 mm), Cole-Parmer Instrument Co., 7425 N. Oak Park
David Swan; Texas A&M University, College Station, TX Ave., Chicago, IL 60648 • 800-323-4340

Roger Billings, Maria Sanchez; International Academy of Hot Press Components

Science, Independence, MO 20 Ton Hydraulic Press: Post Tool Co. 800 E. 8th Street
Oakland, CA • 510-272-0331
Peter Fowler, E-Tek Inc., Framingham, MA
Temperature Controllers, Thermocouples, Cartridge
Peter Lehman, Tom Herron, Ron Reid; CA State University Heaters
at Humboldt, Schatz Fuel Cell Laboratory, Arcata, CA Omega Engineering Inc., 1 Omega Dr., Stamford CT 06907-
David Booth, Alternative Energy Engineering, Redway, CA 0047 • 203-359-1660
PEM Materials
Nafion 117 PEM (du Pont) 0.007 inch thickness: Aldrich
Chemical Co., Catalog No 29,256-7

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48 Home Power #35 • June / July 1993