Fuel Cell systems (FC) represent a promising alternative energy source. However, even if this technology is close to being competitive, it is not ready for large scale industrial deployment: FC still must be optimized, particularly by increasing their limited lifespan. This involves a better understanding of wearing processes and requires emulating the behavior of the whole system. Furthermore,...

In polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cells (PEMFCs), because the reaction rate in the cathode is slower than that in the anode, the cathode catalyst layers require more catalyst loading than the anodes [1]. Much research has been focused on improving the catalytic activity in cathodes and simultaneously reducing the amount of Pt supported by carbon black, which is the most commonly used cathode...

By using two spatially separated reference electrodes in a single cell proton-exchange membrane fuel cell (PEMFC), the individual potentials of the anode and cathode are recorded under realistic operating conditions. The PEMFC was operated under dead-end anode (DEA) mode, without any humidification, to mitigate water accumulation at the anode. Although N2 crossover from cathode to anode may pla...

0014-3057/$ see front matter 2010 Published b doi:10.1016/j.eurpolymj.2010.03.005 * Corresponding author. Tel.: +82 2 958 5299; fax E-mail address: [email protected] (H.-J. Kim). Polymer blending is used to modify or improve the dimensional and thermal stability of any two different polymers or copolymers. In this study, both sulfonated polybenzimidazole homopolymer (MS-p-PBI 100) and sulfonat...

A proton exchange membrane fuel cell (PEMFC) is a more environmentally friendly alternative to deliver electric power in various applications, including the transportation industry. As PEMFC performance characteristics are inherently nonlinear and involved, prediction of given application for different operating conditions important order optimize efficiency system. Thus, modelling using artifi...

Nonfluorinated sulfonic acid membranes are a group of promising candidate materials for the commercialization of proton exchange membrane fuel cell PEMFC technology. However, one of the main obstacles is that the harsh fuel cell environment may originate different modes of degradation and aging processes that result in either chemical or morphological alteration in these membranes. The effect o...

The rate of generation of reactive oxygen species (ROS) within the polymer electrolyte membrane (PEM) of an operating proton exchange member fuel cell (PEMFC) was monitored using in situ fluorescence spectroscopy. A modified barrier layer was introduced between the PEM and the electrocatalyst layer to eliminate metal-dye interactions and fluorescence resonance energy transfer (FRET) effects dur...

Fuel Cell (FC) systems are promising power-generation sources that are more and more presented as a good alternative to current energy converters such as internal combustion engines. They suffer however from insufficient durability for stationary and transport applications, and lifetime may be improved. A greater understanding of underlying wearing processes is needed in order to improve this t...

Polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cells (PEMFCs) directly convert the chemical energy of the reactants into electrical energy and usually consist of a proton exchange membrane (PEM) sandwiched between two catalyst layers (CLs), two porous gas diffusion layers (GDLs) often coated with a microporous layer (MPL) on the CL side, and two bipolar plates with embedded gas channels. Protons and electro...

A three-dimensional two-phase lattice Boltzmann model (LBM) is implemented and validated for qualitative study of the fundamental phenomena of liquid water transport in the porous layer of a proton exchange membrane fuel cell (PEMFC). In the present study, the three-dimensional microstructures of a porous layer are numerically reconstructed by a random generation method. The LBM simulations foc...