Impact of electrode thick spot irregularities on polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cell initial performance

Wang, Min; Rome, Grace A.; Medina, Samantha; Pfeilsticker, Jason; Kang, Zhenye; Pylypenko, Svitlana; Ulsh, Michael; Bender, Guido

doi:10.1016/j.jpowsour.2020.228344

Cited by 14 publications

(4 citation statements)

References 35 publications

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“…Thicker catalyst layers are more protective than thinner ones, and cracks originate from thinner catalyst sites that are more vulnerable. Wang et al 48 also studied the uneven thickness of the catalyst layer and observed reduced fuel cell performance in larger and thicker spray area. For CCM, whether it is produced by liquid casting or ultrasonic spraying manufacturing process, it seems that the unevenness of the catalyst layer thickness is inevitably.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Effect of catalyst layer on fatigue life and fracture mechanisms of fuel cell membrane

Shi

Gao

et al. 2021

Fatigue Fract Eng Mat Struct

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Perfluorosulfonic acid (PFSA) membrane in polymer‐electrolyte fuel cells bears cyclic mechanical stress during humidity cycles under actual operation conditions, and its durability severely influences the life of fuel cells. However, the fatigue failure mechanisms of membranes are still not clear. In order to investigate the effect of catalyst layer on the fatigue life and fatigue fracture mechanisms of PFSA membranes, fatigue tests of Nafion 212 membranes and two catalyst‐coated membranes (CCMs) are conducted. The morphologies of membranes at different stages of fatigue crack initiation and propagation are identified. It is found that crack initiates from both surfaces of Nafion 212 membrane. Compared with Nafion 212 membrane, the fatigue life of single‐sided CCM increases by more than three times, while that of double‐sided CCM increases by 13 times. Such a phenomenon is ascribed to the protection of catalyst layer on membrane surface, which delays fatigue cracks initiation.

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Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Effect of catalyst layer on fatigue life and fracture mechanisms of fuel cell membrane

Shi

Gao

et al. 2021

Fatigue Fract Eng Mat Struct

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“…Despite the effectiveness of the state-of-the-art electrode-manufacturing technology, undesired defects in the electrode cannot be completely avoided. These defects include cracks, spots, and coating irregularities [218,219].…”

Section: Drying Stepmentioning

confidence: 99%

Recent Advances on PEM Fuel Cells: From Key Materials to Membrane Electrode Assembly

Mo,

Du,

Huang

et al. 2023

Electrochem. Energy Rev.

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In recent years, proton exchange membrane (PEM) fuel cells have regained worldwide attention from academia, industries, investors, and governments. The prospect of PEM fuel cells has turned into reality, with fuel cell vehicles successfully launched in the market. However, today’s fuel cells remain less competitive than combustion engines and batteries, primarily due to their high cost and short lifetime, which are significantly affected by the membrane electrode assembly (MEA), or the “chips” of PEM fuel cells. Therefore, many efforts have been devoted to developing advanced materials and manufacturing processes for MEAs. In this paper, we critically review the recent progress of key materials for MEAs, focusing on how to integrate materials into electrodes and MEAs. We also present the most advanced designs and manufacturing techniques of MEAs and discuss their possible constraints. Finally, perspectives on future R&D directions of materials and MEAs are provided. This review aims to bridge the gaps between academic material research and industrial manufacturing process development. Graphical Abstract

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“…Modern technological advancements on portable electronics systems have led to a seminal growth in global energy consumption . To pave the way for innovative and uninterrupted technological advancement, it is essential now more than ever to develop clean, innovative, and renewable energy sources, such as fuel cell, metal−air battery, and water electrolyzer. − The conventional forms of these systems have limitations related to either their high cost due to the use of precious metal catalysts or impediments for a lack of understanding as well as fabrication complexity. Therefore, intense research works are being performed to develop highly efficient, metal-free, and environmentally friendly energy conversion and storage devices. − The efficiency of these renewable energy systems mainly depends on the performance of electrode materials associated with different reactions, such as cathodic oxygen reduction reaction (ORR), anodic oxygen evolution reaction (OER), and hydrogen evolution reaction (HER). − Efficient OER is particularly essential for advanced air batteries and water-splitting systems .…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Transparent Graphene/BN-Graphene Stacked Nanofilms for Electrocatalytic Oxygen Evolution

Paul

Wang

Roy

2020

ACS Appl. Nano Mater.

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The fabrication of a carbon (C)-based, metal-free, efficient, and stable electrocatalyst at high oxygen evolution reaction (OER) overpotential is essential to advance the field of water splitting and air-battery related energy systems. For this purpose, we here synthesize a stacked nanofilm (G-BNG) of pure graphene (G) on boron and nitrogen (BN)-codoped graphene (BNG) with a total thickness of about 2−3 nm and 87% transparency at 550 nm that shows an efficient OER performance, better than that of a stacked G-G layer, G-BG film, or G-NG film in an alkaline electrolyte. The G-BNG film performs OER with the highest reaction kinetics (lowest Tafel slope ∼ 143.22 mV/dec) and a small overpotential (0.58 V) along with 81.6% retention of the current density at 1.8 V (vs reversible hydrogen electrode) even after 50000 s of operation. Experimental analysis reveals that the doped B and N atoms in the bottom layer influence the π-bonding environment in the top G layer, facilitating the effective electron/charge transfer for OER electrocatalysis. Furthermore, the demonstrated OER performance is comparable or even superior to that of other reported C-based electrocatalysts with at least 400−700 times lower catalyst loading, making the G-BNG film promising for advanced renewable energy conversion systems, such as various kinds of transparent air batteries and water electrolyzers.

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Impact of electrode thick spot irregularities on polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cell initial performance

Cited by 14 publications

References 35 publications

Effect of catalyst layer on fatigue life and fracture mechanisms of fuel cell membrane

Effect of catalyst layer on fatigue life and fracture mechanisms of fuel cell membrane

Recent Advances on PEM Fuel Cells: From Key Materials to Membrane Electrode Assembly

Transparent Graphene/BN-Graphene Stacked Nanofilms for Electrocatalytic Oxygen Evolution

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