A systematic investigation of degradation of polymer membrane at fuel cell operating conditions is. Membrane accelerated stress test development for polymer electrolyte fuel cell durability validated using field and drive cycle testing to cite this article. The polymer electrolyte provides room temperature start up, elimination of many corrosion problems, and the po. Protonexchange membrane fuel cells, also known as polymer electrolyte membrane pem fuel cells pemfc, are a type of fuel cell being developed mainly for transport applications, as well as for stationary fuel cell applications and portable fuel cell applications.
Maintaining a high gas purity is important for storage safety and for the direct usage in a fuel cell. Jul 10, 2012 chemical degradation of perfluorosulfonic acid pfsa membrane is one of the most serious problems for stable and longterm operations of the polymer electrolyte fuel cell pefc. Polymer electrolyte membrane and direct methanol fuel. High temperature polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cells. Polymer electrolyte fuel cell degradation sciencedirect.
Polymer electrolyte fuel cell, accelerated test protocol, degradation mechanism, cogeneration system for resident translation from synthesiology, vol. In book of abstracts 3rd carisma international conference on medium and high temperature pem fuel cells pp. Request pdf polymer electrolyte fuel cell degradation for full market implementation of pem fuel cells to become a reality, two main limiting technical issues must be overcome cost and. Effects of environmental conditions on cathode degradation. The proton conductivity of polymer electrolyte membranes in fuel cells dictates their performance, but requires sufficient water management. The role of electrocatalyst degradation debbie myers and xiaoping wang argonne national laboratory graham hards, sarah ball, and jonathan sharman johnson matthey fuel cells. By impregnating the ionomer into the electrodes, proton pathways are extended and high proton transfer efficiency can be achieved. Science, applications, and challenges this book focuses on the recent research progress on the fundamental understanding of the materials degradation phenomena in pefc, for automotive applications. Electrochemical model for a pem fuel cell, journal of power sou rces, 106 2002 274 283. Polymer electrolyte fuel cell degradation matthew m. Kinetics and mechanism of redox processes of ptc and pt3coc cathode electrocatalysts in a polymer electrolyte fuel cell during an accelerated durability test. Membrane accelerated stress test development for polymer. Polymer electrolyte fuel cell degradation matthew mench.
Pawel gazdzicki 1, jens mitzel, daniel garcia sanchez 1, mathias schulze, k. Speci cations for polymer electrolyte fuel cells in road vehicles report to the safety, codes and. Polymer electrolyte fuel cell degradation matthew mench, emin caglan kumbur and t. Degradation of a polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cell.
Because the impregnated ionomer mechanically binds the catalysts within the electrode, the ionomer is also called a binder. Electrolyte fuel cell stacks, journal for new materials for ele ctrochemical systems, 5 2002 255 262. The polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cell pemfc is an electrochemical device used for the production of power, which is a key for the transition towards green and renewable power delivery devices for mobile, stationary and backup power applications. Polymer electrolyte fuel cell degradation request pdf.
Pdf microporous layer degradation in polymer electrolyte. In situ modeling of chemical membrane degradation in polymer. High temperature polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cells performance and degradation. Physical principles of materials and operation crc press book the book provides a systematic and profound account of scientific challenges in fuel cell research. Hydrogen gas crossover measurements and durability tests of a single cell under opencircuit conditions were carried out to investigate membrane degradation in polymer electrolyte fuel cells pefcs. Study on degradation analyses of electrolyte membranes for. Accelerated degradation of hightemperature polymer electrolyte fuel cells. In this project, a polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cell pemfc made of nafion 112 membrane was used for experiments to observe the response of fuel cell performance while cycling the load between 0. Purchase polymer electrolyte fuel cell degradation 1st edition.
Drive partnership, which includes automotive and energy companies, and specifically the fuel cell technical team. Multiple degradation phenomena in polymer electrolyte fuel. Pdf proton exchange membrane fuel cell degradation. Mallika gummalla united technologies research center. Hydrogen fuel quality specifications for polymer electrolyte. The journal of physical chemistry c 2016, 120 35, 1964219651. Thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of doctor of philosophy. Pdf degradation of polymerelectrolyte membranes in fuel.
The chemical degradation is caused by the chemical reaction between the pfsa membrane and chemical species such as free radicals. Stability of polymer electrolyte membranes in fuel cells. Durable polymer electrolyte fuel cells pefc for residential cogeneration application keywords. Alkaline polymer electrolyte fuel cells completely free from noble metal catalysts shanfu lu1, jing pan1, aibin huang, lin zhuang2, and juntao lu department of chemistry, hubei key lab of electrochemical power sources, wuhan university, wuhan 430072, china. Water and thermal management in solidpolymerelectrolyte.
The coupled phenomenon behind the premature failure of fuel cell membranes in terms of its degradation. Gas crossover and membrane degradation in polymer electrolyte. A stream of hydrogen is delivered to the anode side of the mea. Performance decay in a polymerelectrolyte fuel cell can result from changes in the gasdiffusion layer, particularly in the microporous layer. In polymer electrolyte fuel cells pefcs, protons from the anode are transferred to the cathode through the ionomer membrane. The safety limits for h 2 in o 2 are at standard conditions 4 mol% h 2 in o 2. Firstly, degradation issues in polymer electrolyte fuel cells pefcs are very complex. Polymer electrolyte fuel cell an overview sciencedirect topics. The effect of platinum electrocatalyst on membrane. Microporous layer degradation in polymer electrolyte membrane. Department of energy doe technical targets for polymer electrolyte membrane pem fuel cell components. Short cathode undersupply does not lead to fuel cell failure.
Membrane degradation in polymer electrolyte fuel cells. Polymer electrolyte membrane pem fuel cell commercialization and market penetration necessitate the mass production of bipolar plates and are therefore, required to be made of length of their lifetime in combating corrosion, while maintaining low interfacial contact resistance icr and not large supplies of fuel cell materials and high volume manufacturing processes must be reduced for pem to reach economic viability, to allow it to penetrate the energy market and compete with other systems. Membrane accelerated stress test development for polymer electrolyte fuel cell durability validated using field and drive cycle testing. For full market implementation of pem fuel cells to become a reality, two main limiting technical issues must be overcomecost and durability. Accelerated degradation of hightemperature polymer. Michael fowler university of waterloo endurance tested mea. Polymer electrolyte fuel cell durability springerlink. Polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cell, automotive, durability, irreversible. Catalyst degradation at the cathode of a membrane electrode assembly mea remains a critical issue for practical polymer electrolyte fuel cell pefc operation, but such wet systems impede detailed visualization of degradation events in the cell during its operation. After extensive cycling, degradation becomes the dominant effect. An accelerated stress test ast was developed to degrade the ionomer in two membrane electrode assembly mea designs, with cathode catalyst structures comprised of 23 and 33 wt % nafion, respectively. Evaluation of reversible and irreversible degradation rates of polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cells tested in automotive conditions. Durable and selfhydrating tungsten carbidebased composite.
Degradation of polymerelectrolyte membranes in fuel cells. In order to accelerate degradation effects the fuel cell is operated beyond its point of maximum. Pem technologies fall under the low temperature fuel cells category with operating temperatures up to 90 c. Concentration effects of polymer electrolyte membrane. The fuel cell is constantly under load with frequent periods of very high current. Air starvation induced degradation in polymer electrolyte. Polymer and impregnation and no debris can be seen. Lifetime prediction of a polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cell. Quantification on degradation mechanisms of polymer electrolyte.
These targets have been developed with input from the u. Air starvation results in a voltage drop and hydrogen evolution. Therefore, obtaining a deeper knowledge is fundamental in order to establish fuel cells as competitive product. In situ modeling of chemical membrane degradation in polymer electrolyte fuel cells. Scientific aspects of polymer electrolyte fuel cell. In situ modeling of chemical membrane degradation in. If you have a user account, you will need to reset your password the next time you login. Evaluation of reversible and irreversible degradation. Polymer electrolyte fuel cell degradation 1st edition. Polymer electrolyte fuel cell degradation by matthew m. Ptcoc cathode catalyst degradation in a polymer electrolyte. Enhancement of service life of polymer electrolyte fuel. Surfaceregulated nanosno2pt3coc cathode catalysts for polymer electrolyte fuel cells fabricated by a selective electrochemical sn deposition method.
Polymer electrolyte membrane pem fuel cell commercialization and market penetration necessitate the mass production of bipolar plates and are therefore, required to be made of length of their lifetime in combating corrosion, while maintaining low interfacial contact resistance icr and not large supplies of fuel cell materials and high volume manufacturing processes must be reduced for pem to reach. Fuel cells provide a cleaner and more efficient alternative to power generation than the combustion of fossil fuels 1. Department of energy doe, through its fuel cell technologies office fcto, supports, among other activities, testing, modeling, and analysis to help establish a technical foundation for requirements in key hydrogen. The potential of polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cells. For the commercial adoption of fuel cellbased transportation systems, the longterm durability. Scientific aspects of polymer electrolyte fuel cell durability and degradation. Pdf degradation of polymerelectrolyte membranes in fuel cells i. Evaluation of reversible and irreversible degradation rates. Now that fuel cells are in commercial production in the rest of the world if not in the us one of the questions that remain is the longterm durability of fuel cell systems.
Ionomer degradation in polymer electrolyte membrane fuel. Roberge, issues associated with voltage degradation in a pol ymer electrolyte fuel cell stacks, journal for new materials for ele ctrochemical systems, 5 2002 255. The coupled phenomenon behind the premature failure of fuel cell membranes in terms of its degradation is not well established. This is accompanied by the reduction of platinum oxides in the respective areas, which leads to an improvement of the active catalyst surface area. Water and thermal management in solid polymerelectrolyte fuel cells. Fuels and fuel processing for low temperature fuel cells deals with the effects of fuel type and quality on lowtemperature fuel cell performance and degradation. Polymer electrolyte fuel cell lifetime limitations. Increasing the service life of polymer electrolyte fuel. Protons hydrogen ions are the transported ion through the pem structure. Water and thermal management in solid polymer electrolyte fuel cells. Observation of a polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cell. It describes an approach to this issue using computer modeling. A novel segmented fuel cell is employed for durability characterization, and use of this cell and pre and post analysis of the membrane are presented.
Doe hydrogen program and vehicle technologies program. A major part of the competitiveness gap of polymer electrolyte fuel cell pefc technology in automotive and stationary cogeneration applications is due lack of durability. The structural degradation of the polymer electrolyte in both the bulk membrane and the cathode catalyst layer cl was investigated. Pdf in this work, chemical degradation is studied using highly controlled measurements of the fluoride ion release from subscale cells in degrading. Chapter 3 degradation study of perfluorosulfonic acid polymer electrolyte.
Polymer electrolyte fuel cells pefcs are electrochemical devices that can efficiently convert chemical energy of the fuel directly into electrical energy. Fuels and materials part i consists of fi ve chapters. This chapter is devoted to various aspects of the degradation of polymer electrolyte fuel cells. Yu, wenbin gu, jingxin zhang, rohit makharia, frederick t. Polymer electrolyte fuel cells have attracted significant interest from governments and similar. Among their topics are the status and targets of durability, electrochemical degradation. Pdf scientific aspects of polymer electrolyte fuel cell. Effects of environmental conditions on cathode degradation of. Kumbur, in polymer electrolyte fuel cell degradation, 2012. This approach is a very effective and powerful tool, for two main reasons. Doe technical targets for polymer electrolyte membrane. Study on degradation analyses of electrolyte membranes for proton exchange membrane fuel cells with nmr december, 20. Development of nanocomposite polymer electrolyte membranes for higher temperature pem fuel cells by nikhil h. The introductory chapters bring readers up to date on the urgency and implications of the global energy challenge, the prospects of electrochemical.
Degradation of polymer electrolyte membranes in fuel cells. The polymer electrolyte membrane, due to its solid structure, exhibits a low gas crossover rate resulting in very high product gas purity. Polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cells h2 pemfcs, direct methanol fuel cells dmfcs and polymer electrolyte membrane water electrolysers pemwes. Chemical degradation of perfluorosulfonic acid pfsa membrane is one of the most serious problems for stable and longterm operations of the polymer electrolyte fuel cell pefc. A proton exchange membrane fuel cell transforms the chemical energy liberated during the electrochemical reaction of hydrogen and oxygen to electrical energy, as opposed to the direct combustion of hydrogen and oxygen gases to produce thermal energy. Publishers pdf, also known as version of record link back to dtu orbit. The role of electrocatalyst degradation debbie myers, xiaoping wang, nancy kariuki, ramachandran subbaraman, rajesh ahluwalia, and xiaohua wang argonne national laboratory 2011 u. Membrane degradation is a severe factor limiting the lifetime of polymer electrolyte fuel cells. Alkaline polymer electrolyte fuel cells completely free. Now that fuel cells are in commercial productionin the rest of the world if not in the usone of the questions that remain is the longterm durability of fuel cell systems. The role of electrocatalyst degradation debbie myers, xiaoping wang, nancy kariuki, stacy decrane, tammy nowicki, ram subbaraman, srikanth arisetty, and rajesh ahluwalia argonne national laboratory. Yang shaohorn massachusetts institute of technology. Dinh,z adepartment of chemistry and geochemistry, colorado school of mines, golden, colorado 80401, usa.
Observation of a polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cell degradation. This book analyzes the relevant degradation processes in pefc on the level of components, cells and stacks, and applications. A segmented single cell was operated under open circuit voltage with alternating relative humidity. Introduction to facilitate the widespread use of fuel cell vehicles, it is important to improve the durability and reduce the cost of fuel cell stacks. Here, the authors report a simple method to produce. Journal of the american chemical society 2015, 7 40, 1285612864. Fuel cells employing hydrated nation or other hydrated perfluorinated ionomeric materials as the electrolyte are promising candidates for electric vehicle applications 1. In recent years, research on coupled degradation of nafion membrane in polymer electrolyte fuel cell has generated huge interest among the scientific community. F60 journal of the electrochemical society, 161 14 f60f65 2014 concentration effects of polymer electrolyte membrane degradation products on oxygen reduction activity for three platinum catalysts jason m.
Polymer electrolyte membrane electrolysis wikipedia. In this work, microporous layer mpl degradation was investigated through the characterization of polymer electrolyte membrane pem fuel cell performance and in situ liquid water visualizations. A polymer electrolyte membrane pem fuel cell, featuring high power density and zero localco 2 emissions, is a promising electrochemical energy conversion device for replacing the automotive internal combustion engine. Pem fuel cell or, equivalently, polymer electrolyte fuel. In this work, for the first time, operando spectroimaging xray absorption nearedge structurecomputed tomography was used.