Skip to main content
OSTI.GOVU.S. Department of Energy Office of Scientific and Technical Information
U.S. Department of Energy
Office of Scientific and Technical Information
 

Improved Water Management of Electrospun Nanofiber Membrane Electrode Assemblies at High Current Densities Measured in Operando Using Neutron Radiography

Journal Article · · ECS Transactions (Online)
 [1];  [2];  [3];  [3];  [3];  [4];  [4];  [4];  [5];  [5];  [2];  [3];  [2]
  1. Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL), Los Alamos, NM (United States); Vanderbilt University
  2. Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN (United States)
  3. Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL), Los Alamos, NM (United States)
  4. National Institute of Standards and Technology, Gaithersburg, MD (United States)
  5. Nissan Technical Center North America, Farmington Hills, MI (United States)
+ Show Author Affiliations
Neutron radiography was used to measure water concentrations through the cross-sections of sprayed gas diffusion electrodes (GDE) and electrospun perfluorosulfonic acid-platinum nanofiber (NF) electrodes during fuel cell operation. The performance of Generation 1 poly(acrylic acid)-based NF electrodes is improved at high current densities compared to the baseline given by a GDE cell. Through-thickness water profiles reveal that at high current densities, the water concentrations within the membrane electrode assembly (MEA) and gas diffusion layers are around 2x lower in the nanofiber-containing MEA compared to the baseline GDE, commensurate with the observed polarization performance. In Generation 2 electrospun nanofiber electrodes, poly(ethylene oxide)-based electrodes show higher performance than poly(acrylic acid) electrodes, while retaining less water in the MEA. Furthermore, these results imply that the electrospun nanofiber electrodes have an improved ability to maintain hydration without flooding, which leads to improved performance over a range of relative humidities.
Research Organization:
Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN (United States)
Sponsoring Organization:
USDOE Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE), Office of Sustainable Transportation. Hydrogen Fuel Cell Technologies Office (HFTO)
Grant/Contract Number:
EE0007653
OSTI ID:
2311798
Journal Information:
ECS Transactions (Online), Journal Name: ECS Transactions (Online) Journal Issue: 8 Vol. 92; ISSN 1938-6737
Publisher:
Electrochemical SocietyCopyright Statement
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English

Similar Records

Related Subjects

42 ENGINEERING