Preparation of water management layer and effects of its composition on performance of PEMFCs

A membrane electrode assembly (MEA) with a novel water management layer (WML) used in proton exchange membrane fuel cell (PEMFC) was prepared. The so called WML, which was located between the carbon paper and the catalyst layer, was a sublayer composed of carbon and hydrophobic PTFE. Various parameters of the WML, including carbon loading, PTFE content and species, sintering time and temperature and pore formers, were investigated in this study. As demonstrated in our experimental results, the performance of the membrane electrode assembly (MEA) PEMFC could be significantly improved by WML in the condition of operation with dry reactive gases. The MEA with the WML exhibited more stable performance than the situation of MEA without WML during a long time running period.     

Hydrophobic PTFE-coated serpentine flow fields with ladder-structure for fuel cell application

A proton exchange membrane's conductivity increases with increasing water content. However, water on the electrode surface inhibits the inlet of oxidant/fuel, resulting in lower performance of the proton exchange membrane fuel cell (PEMFC). Therefore, water management is a critical issue that needs to be addressed in low-temperature PEMFCs. Two strategies used to manage water are the embedding of hydrophobic materials in the electrode (catalyst or gas diffusion layer), and controlling the fuel/oxidant flow rate. In this study, ladder-structure flow fields were manufactured with hydrophobic PTFE materials coated on different ladders. These were used to investigate the effect of oxidant flow rate and oxidant humidity on PEMFC performance and dynamic variation. We have found that using a flow field with hydrophobic PTFE coated on the second ladder (from the GDL) results in the greatest improvement in performance and durability.     

Application of water barrier layers in a proton exchange membrane fuel cell for improved water management at low humidity conditions

This study discusses the use of an additional layer in the cathode side of a proton exchange membrane fuel cell (PEMFC) for improved water management at dry conditions. The performance of fuel cells deteriorates significantly when low to no gas humidification is used. This study demonstrates that adding a non-porous material with perforations, such as stainless steel, between the cathode flow field plate and the gas diffusion layer (GDL) improves the water saturation in the cathode GDL and catalyst layer, increases the water content in the anode, and keeps the membrane hydrated. The slight voltage drop in the performance as a result of transport limitations is justifiable since the overall durability of the cell at these extreme conditions is enhanced. The results show that the perforated layer(s) enhances the operational life of the PEMFC under completely dry conditions. These extreme conditions (dry gases without humidification, 90 kPa, 75 °C) were used to accelerate the failure modes in the fuel cells.     

Non-uniform agglomerate cathode catalyst layer model on the performance of PEMFC with consideration of water effect

We focus on the effect of cathode catalyst layer physical structure on the cell performance of proton exchange membrane fuel cell (PEMFC). At low polarization, high inlet humidification predicts better cell performance because of the more active surface in the CL. As polarization is extended near the mass transfer limited regime, high humidification only renders a flooded electrode and inferior cell performance. Catalyst layer with better capillary water transport parameters performs better than that with inferior water repulsion capability. Permeation in the gas diffusion layer (GDL) is important for efficient oxygen diffusion in mass transfer influenced regime. On the other hand, the permeability in catalyst layer only has secondary effect.The distribution of material properties in the CL is studied for the MEA fabrication strategy. The CL is divided into three sub-layers with changing material properties. With water effect considered, better performance is obtained for higher porosity near the GDL, higher electrolyte fraction in the agglomerate near the membrane. The effect of agglomerate particle size differs in the ohmic and mass transfer controlled regimes. Larger agglomerate size near GDL is preferred in the ohmic limited regime, while smaller size near GDL performs better if operated at mass transfer controlled regime.     

A pore network study on the role of micro-porous layer in control of liquid water distribution in gas diffusion layer

In proton exchange membrane fuel cell (PEMFC), a hydrophobic micro-porous layer (MPL) is usually placed between catalyst layer (CL) and gas diffusion layer (GDL) to reduce flooding. Recent experimental studies have demonstrated that liquid water saturation in GDL is drastically decreased in the presence of MPL. However, theoretical studies based on traditional continuum two-phase flow models suggest that MPL has no effect on liquid water distribution in GDL. In the present study, a pore network model with invasion percolation algorithm is developed and used to investigate the impacts of the presence of MPL on liquid water distribution in GDL from the viewpoint at the pore level. A uniform pressure and uniform flux boundary conditions are considered for liquid water entering the porous layer in PEMFC. The simulation results reveal that liquid water saturation in GDL is reduced in the presence of MPL, but the reduction depends on the condition of liquid water entering the porous layer in PEMFC.     

Membrane electrode assembly with doped polyaniline interlayer for proton exchange membrane fuel cells under low relative humidity conditions

A membrane electrode assembly (MEA) was designed by incorporating an interlayer between the catalyst layer and the gas diffusion layer (GDL) to improve the low relative humidity (RH) performance of proton exchange membrane fuel cells (PEMFCs). On the top of the micro-porous layer of the GDL, a thin layer of doped polyaniline (PANI) was deposited to retain moisture content in order to maintain the electrolyte moist, especially when the fuel cell is working at lower RH conditions, which is typical for automotive applications. The surface morphology and wetting angle characteristics of the GDLs coated with doped PANI samples were examined using FESEM and Goniometer, respectively. The surface modified GDLs fabricated into MEAs were evaluated in single cell PEMFC between 50 and 100% RH conditions using H₂ and O₂ as reactants at ambient pressure. It was observed that the MEA with camphor sulfonic acid doped PANI interlayer showed an excellent fuel cell performance at all RH conditions including that at 50% at 80 °C using H₂ and O_2.     

Demonstration of water management role of microporous layer by similarity model experiments

The water management role of a microporous layer (MPL) in a polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cell (PEMFC) is demonstrated experimentally by visualizing the drainage behaviors of a non-wetting fluid through multiple porous layers. An intermediate layer inserted between a fine layer and a coarse layer is observed to reduce the number of (the non-wetting fluid) breakthrough sites towards the coarse layer by merging many transport paths. Then, the reduced number of the breakthrough sites decreases the non-wetting fluid saturation in the coarse layer by minimizing capillary fingering process. These results clearly demonstrate the water management role of an MPL: An MPL reduces the liquid water breakthrough into a gas diffusion layer (GDL) by merging many paths from a catalyst layer (CL), and thereby reduces the liquid water saturation in the GDL.     

Electrochemical impedance analysis with transmission line model for accelerated carbon corrosion in polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cells

The effects of varying the applied voltage and relative humidity of feed gases in degradation tests of polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cells (PEMFCs) were analyzed using electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS). A transmission line model that considers the proton-transport resistance in the cathode catalyst layer was used to analyze impedance spectra obtained from degraded PEMFCs. As the applied cell voltage was increased from 1.3 to 1.5 V to induce accelerated degradation, the cell performance decayed significantly due to increased charge- and proton-transfer resistance. The PEMFC degradation was more pronounce at higher relative humidity (RH), i.e. 100% RH, as compared with that observed under 50% RH. Furthermore, changes in the charge transfer resistance of the electrode accompanied changes in the ionic conductivity in the PEMFC catalyst layer. Although the initial ionic and charge-transfer resistances in the catalyst layer were lower under higher RH conditions, the impedance results indicated that the performance degradation was more significant at higher water contents in the electrode due to the consequential carbon corrosion, especially when higher voltages, i.e. 1.5 V, were applied to the PEMFC single cell.     

Effects of an MPL on water and thermal management in a PEMFC

In this study, the effects of adding a microporous layer (MPL) as well as the impact of its physical properties on polymer electrolyte fuel cell (PEMFC) performance with serpentine flow channels were investigated. In addition, numerical simulations were performed to reveal the effect of relative humidity and operating temperature. It is indicated that adding an extra between the gas diffusion layer (GDL) and catalyst layer (CL), a discontinuity in the liquid saturation shows up at their interface because of differences in the wetting properties of the layers. In addition, results show that a higher MPL porosity causes the liquid water saturation to decrease and the cell performance is improved. A larger MPL thickness reduces the cell performance. The effects of MPL on temperature distribution and thermal transport of the membrane prove that the MPL in addition to being a water management layer also improves the thermal management of the PEMFC.     

A Pt content and pore structure gradient distributed catalyst layer to improve the PEMFC performance

The catalyst layer is a key component in the proton exchange membrane fuel cell (PEMFC) for it is where the conversion of fuel into electricity takes place. Traditionally, electrocatalyst is uniformly distributed in the catalyst layers of the membrane electrode assembly (MEA) and the high Pt consumption in catalyst layers blocks the widely use of PEMFC. Here we proposed a Pt content and pore structure gradient distributed, two-layer catalyst layer for PEMFC to improve the MEA performance. Energy-dispersive X-ray (EDX) spectroscopy results show Pt nanoparticles gradient distributed on the vertical direction of catalyst layer. The pore size in the Pt poor layer is larger than that in the Pt rich layer, and this structure can improve the Pt utilization and enhance the mass transfer in the catalyst layer. The single cell test result shows this new MEA has a better performance (11%) than the traditional MEA.     

Operation of a proton exchange membrane fuel cell under non-humidified conditions using a membrane–electrode assemblies with composite membrane and electrode

Composite membranes with hydrophilic substances can retain water and allow the operation of proton exchange membrane fuel cells (PEMFCs) under non-humidified conditions. In this work, thin Nafion composite membranes with silica are prepared to operate a PEMFC with dry fuel and oxidant. In addition, the role of silica in the catalyst layer as a water retainer is studied. In particular, the anode and the cathode are modified separately to elucidate the effect of silica. The incorporation of silica in the membrane and the catalyst layer enhances single-cell performance under non-humidified operation. The cell performance of membrane–electrode assemblies using the composite membrane and electrode is higher than that of a MEA using commercial Nafion 111 membrane under non-humidified conditions.     

Numerical study for in-plane gradient effects of cathode gas diffusion layer on PEMFC under low humidity condition

A numerical study about in-plane porosity and contact angle gradient effects of cathode gas diffusion layer (GDL) on polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cell (PEMFC) under low humidity condition below 50% relative humidity is performed in this work. Firstly, a numerical model for a fuel cell is developed, which considers mass transfer, electrochemical reaction, and water saturation in cathode GDL. For water saturation in cathode GDL, porosity and contact angle of GDL are also considered in developing the model. Secondly, current density distribution in PEMFC with uniform cathode GDL is scrutinized to design the gradient cathode GDL. Finally, current density distributions in PEMFC with gradient cathode GDL and uniform cathode GDL are compared. At the gas inlet side, the current density is higher in GDL with a gradient than GDL with high porosity and large contact angle. At the outlet side, the current density is higher in GDL with a gradient than GDL with low porosity and small contact angle. As a result, gradient cathode GDL increases the maximum power by 9% than GDL with low porosity and small contact angle. Moreover, gradient cathode GDL uniformizes the current density distribution by 4% than GDL with high porosity and large contact angle.     

Effects of electrode wettabilities on liquid water behaviours in PEM fuel cell cathode

Liquid water transport is one of the key challenges for water management in a proton exchange membrane (PEM) fuel cell. Investigation of the air–water flow patterns inside fuel cell gas flow channels with gas diffusion layer (GDL) would provide valuable information that could be used in fuel cell design and optimization. This paper presents numerical investigations of air–water flow across an innovative GDL with catalyst layer and serpentine channel on PEM fuel cell cathode by use of a commercial Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) software package FLUENT. Different static contact angles (hydrophilic or hydrophobic) were applied to the electrode (GDL and catalyst layer). The results showed that different wettabilities of cathode electrode could affect liquid water flow patterns significantly, thus influencing on the performance of PEM fuel cells. The detailed flow patterns of liquid water were shown, several gas flow problems were observed, and some useful suggestions were given through investigating the flow patterns.     

Review on water management methods for proton exchange membrane fuel cells

Control of water content of proton exchange membrane fuel cells (PEMFCs) within a reasonable rangeis a question worthy of study. This paper addresses questions of water transport, water fault, and water management methods in a PEMFC. Both an excess (overflow) or lack (dehydration) of water in a fuel cell may affect the performance and the service life. Herein, we describe in detail the effects of water content on the cathode, anode, gas diffusion layer (GDL), catalyst layer (CL) and flow channel. Monitoring the flow and accumulation of water directly in the PEMFC is the most effective approach to determine which of the two scenarios, overflow or dehydration, occurs. The water transport can be effectively investigated in a transparent fuel cell, using neutron scanning, nuclear magnetic resonance, and X-ray irradiation. Regarding the PEMFC water management, this paper reviews some current methods, such as improvement of the flow field structure, changing hydrophilic materials, and optimizing control systems.     

Enhancing liquid water transport by laser perforation of a GDL in a PEM fuel cell

The presence of liquid water in a polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cell hinders gas diffusion to the active sites, which results in large concentration overpotentials and instability of the fuel cell performance. In this paper, a new customized gas diffusion layer (GDL) is presented that enhances liquid water transport from the electrode to the gas channels and therefore lowers mass transport losses of oxygen through the porous media. The GDL is systematically modified by laser-perforation with respect to the flow field design. The holes are characterized by SEM images. The performance of the laser-treated GDL was investigated in a small test fuel cell with a reference electrode by voltammetry and chronoamperometry measurements and compared to corresponding data with a non-modified GDL. Voltammetry experiments with different humidification levels of the inlet gases were conducted. In all cases, the cathode overpotential with the perforated GDL clearly shows reduced saturation which can be seen in a lower overpotential in the region limited by mass transport resulting in a higher limiting current density. The investigated current response of the chronoamperometry measurements clearly shows a better dynamic and overall performance of the test cell with the perforated GDL.     

Three dimensional numerical investigations for the effects of gas diffusion layer on PEM fuel cell performance

Gas diffusion layer (GDL) is an important component of a proton exchange membrane fuel cell (PEMFC) to take part in the interplay of the transport of different species. It has been found that the performance of a PEMFC depends upon the morphology of the GDL. The performance of PEM fuel cell varies with different porosity and thickness of the GDL. Hence, a three dimensional model is simulated to find out the effects of porosity and thickness of GDL on PEMFC performance using a commercial code CFD-ACE+. It was observed that high porosity gave high current density by allowing more reactants to reach the reaction site. Similarly greater thickness of the GDL gives reactant species to increase the consumption rate at the GDL/catalyst layer interface. The simulation results showed that the connection of bipolar plate with the GDL played an important role for reducing the amount of reactants to reach the catalyst layer especially under the land area of the bipolar plate. However, this effect seems to decrease with an increase of overall porosity and the thickness of the GDL.     

PEMFC电极孔隙率的优化研究

对质子交换膜燃料电池单体建立了三维稳态电化学模型,考察了气体扩散层孔隙率对电池性能的影响,验证了扩散层孔隙率及层厚的变化反映从气体通道到扩散层和催化剂层的反应气体扩散量,进而影响电化学反应的活跃程度;以膜与阴极催化剂层界面处获得的最大电压为目标函数,采用鲍威尔搜索法对气体扩散层孔隙率进行数值优化,得到了扩散层孔隙率和层厚的最优值。通过优化前后氧气浓度和电流密度的对比显示,这些参数可以显著改善电极的传质性能,使燃料电池获得最佳性能。     

Effect of gas-diffusion electrode material heterogeneity on the structural integrity of polymer electrolyte fuel cell

In polymer electrolyte fuel cell (PEFC), gas-diffusion electrode (GDE) plays very significant role in force transmission from bipolar plate to the membrane. This paper investigates the effects of material heterogeneities of gas-diffusion electrode layer (gas-diffusion layer (GDL) and catalyst layer (CL)) on the assembly stress levels of single PEFC stack. In addition, we adopt a force transfer mechanism in a single fuel cell stack based on material heterogeneities of GDL and CL to understand the limitations and advantages associated with it through numerical analyses. Nanoscale heterogeneities in GDE are effectively implemented in the simulation cases along with the membrane swelling. Influence of presence or absence of CL interlayer in the numerical environment is found to have significant impact on the adjacent layers as well as interfaces.     

Measurement of liquid water content in cathode gas diffusion electrode of polymer electrolyte fuel cell

Water management in cathode gas diffusion electrode (GDE) of polymer electrolyte fuel cell (PEFC) is essential for high performance operation, because liquid water condensed in porous gas diffusion layer (GDL) and catalyst layer (CL) blocks oxygen transport to active reaction sites. In this study, the average liquid water content inside the cathode GDE of a low-temperature PEFC is experimentally and quantitatively estimated by the weight measurement, and the relationship between the water accumulation rate in the cathode GDE and the cell voltage is investigated. The liquid water behavior at the cathode is also visualized using an optical diagnostic, and the effects of operating conditions and GDL structures on the water transport in the cathode GDE are discussed. It is found that the liquid water content in the cathode GDE increases remarkably after starting the fuel cell operation due to the water production at the CL. At a high current density, the cell voltage drops suddenly after starting the operation in spite of a low water content in the cathode GDE. When the GDL thickness is increased, much water accumulates near the cathode CL and the fuel cell shuts down immediately after the operation. In the final section of this paper, the structure of cathode GDL that has several grooves for water removal is proposed to prevent water flooding and improve fuel cell performance. This groove structure is effective to promote the removal of the liquid water accumulated near the active catalyst sites.