Interfacial Water Transport Effects in Proton-Exchange Membranes

Kientiz, Brian; Yamada, Haruhiko; Nonoyama, Nobuaki; Weber, Adam Z.

doi:10.1115/1.4002398

Interfacial Water Transport Effects in Proton-Exchange Membranes

Journal Article · Thu Nov 04 04:00:00 EDT 2010 · Journal of Fuel Cell Science and Technology

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1115/1.4002398· OSTI ID:1149935

Kientiz, Brian ^[1]; Yamada, Haruhiko ^[2]; Nonoyama, Nobuaki ^[3]; Weber, Adam Z. ^[1]

Environmental Energy Technologies Division, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, CA 94720
Toyota Central R&D Labs, Inc., Nagakute, Aichi, 480-1192, Japan
Higashifuji Technical Center, Toyota Motor Corporation, Susono, Shizuoka, 410-1193, Japan

It is well known that the proton-exchange membrane is perhaps the most critical component of a polymer-electrolyte fuel cell. Typical membranes, such as Nafion®, require hydration to conduct efficiently and are instrumental in cell water management. Recently, evidence has been shown that these membranes might have different interfacial morphology and transport properties than in bulk. In this paper, experimental data combined with theoretical simulations that explore the existence and impact of interfacial resistance on water transport for Nafion®21x membranes will be presented. A mass-transfer coefficient for the interfacial resistance is calculated from experimental data using different permeation cells. This coefficient is shown to depend exponentially on relative humidity or water activity. The interfacial resistance does not seem to exist for liquid/membrane or membrane/membrane interfaces. The effect of the interfacial resistance is to flatten the water content profiles within the membrane during operation. Under typical operating conditions, the resistance is on par with the water transport resistance of the bulk membrane. Thus, the interfacial resistance can be dominant especially in thin, dry membranes and can affect overall fuel cell performance.

Research Organization:: Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (LBNL), Berkeley, CA (United States)

Sponsoring Organization:: USDOE

DOE Contract Number:: AC02-05CH11231

OSTI ID:: 1149935

Report Number(s):: LBNL-2862E

Journal Information:: Journal of Fuel Cell Science and Technology, Journal Name: Journal of Fuel Cell Science and Technology Journal Issue: 1 Vol. 8; ISSN 1550-624X

Publisher:: ASME

Country of Publication:: United States

Language:: English

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Proton-exchange membrane
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