Issue 8, 2023

Designing a membrane electrode assembly for weakly humidity-dependent proton exchange membrane fuel cells

Abstract

Currently, most proton exchange membrane fuel cells (PEMFCs) must operate under high humidification conditions. Developing low-humidity PEMFCs is significantly important for application of PEMFCs in different environments. In this work, we propose a PEM-free approach to fabricate an integrated membrane electrode assembly (i-MEA) by doctor blade coating of an ionomer repeatedly. The results show that the PEM-free method significantly reduces the ohmic impedance of the interface by about 30% at 0.4 A cm−2, compared to the GDL-MEA prepared by the traditional GDE method. Importantly, when the relative humidity is reduced to 30%, the peak power density of the i-MEA has no significant effect, while the performance of the GDL-MEA decreases by about 30.76%. In addition, this work reveals that a favorable PEM/CL interface will improve proton transport and reverse diffusion of water, while a modified GDL/CL interface is beneficial to mass transfer at high current density. All in all, this work provides a new approach for the development of affordable, high-performance MEAs at low humidity.

Graphical abstract: Designing a membrane electrode assembly for weakly humidity-dependent proton exchange membrane fuel cells

Supplementary files

Article information

Article type
Paper
Submitted
03 Dec. 2022
Accepted
10 Marts 2023
First published
11 Marts 2023

Sustainable Energy Fuels, 2023,7, 1829-1838

Designing a membrane electrode assembly for weakly humidity-dependent proton exchange membrane fuel cells

K. Qiao, H. Liu, K. Ren, P. Sun, L. Yang, S. Wang and D. Cao, Sustainable Energy Fuels, 2023, 7, 1829 DOI: 10.1039/D2SE01675C

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