Elucidating Performance Limitations in Alkaline-Exchange- Membrane Fuel Cells

Shiau, Huai-Suen; Zenyuk, Iryna V.; Weber, Adam Z.

doi:10.1149/2.0531711jes

Title: Elucidating Performance Limitations in Alkaline-Exchange- Membrane Fuel Cells

Journal Article · Sat Jul 15 00:00:00 EDT 2017 · Journal of the Electrochemical Society

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1149/2.0531711jes · OSTI ID:1420105

Shiau, Huai-Suen ^[1];

^[2];

^[1]

Lawrence Berkeley National Lab. (LBNL), Berkeley, CA (United States). Energy Conversion Group, Energy Technology Area
Tufts Univ., Medford, MA (United States). Dept. of Mechanical Engineering

Water management is a serious concern for alkaline-exchange-membrane fuel cells (AEMFCs) because water is a reactant in the alkaline oxygen-reduction reaction and hydroxide conduction in alkaline-exchange membranes is highly hydration dependent. Here in this article, we develop and use a multiphysics, multiphase model to explore water management in AEMFCs. We demonstrate that the low performance is mostly caused by extremely non-uniform distribution of water in the ionomer phase. A sensitivity analysis of design parameters including humidification strategies, membrane properties, and water transport resistance was undertaken to explore possible optimization strategies. Furthermore, the strategy and issues of reducing bicarbonate/carbonate buildup in the membrane-electrode assembly with CO₂ from air is demonstrated based on the model prediction. Overall, mathematical modeling is used to explore trends and strategies to overcome performance bottlenecks and help enable AEMFC commercialization.

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

Sponsoring Organization:: USDOE Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE)

Grant/Contract Number:: AC02-05CH11231

OSTI ID:: 1420105

Journal Information:: Journal of the Electrochemical Society, Journal Name: Journal of the Electrochemical Society Journal Issue: 11 Vol. 164; ISSN 0013-4651

Publisher:: The Electrochemical SocietyCopyright Statement

Country of Publication:: United States

Language:: English

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Beyond catalysis and membranes: visualizing and solving the challenge of electrode water accumulation and flooding in AEMFCs Omasta, Travis J.; Park, Andrew M.; LaManna, Jacob M. Energy & Environmental Science, Vol. 11, Issue 3 https://doi.org/10.1039/c8ee00122g	journal	January 2018
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Towards membrane-electrode assembly systems for CO ₂ reduction: a modeling study Weng, Lien-Chun; Bell, Alexis T.; Weber, Adam Z. Energy & Environmental Science, Vol. 12, Issue 6 https://doi.org/10.1039/c9ee00909d	journal	January 2019
Along-the-Channel Impacts of Water Management and Carbon-Dioxide Contamination in Hydroxide-Exchange-Membrane Fuel Cells: A Modeling Study Gerhardt, Michael R.; Pant, Lalit M.; Weber, Adam Z. Journal of The Electrochemical Society, Vol. 166, Issue 7 https://doi.org/10.1149/2.0171907jes	journal	January 2019
Predicting the Effects of Carbon Dioxide on the Conductivity of Electrospun Anion Exchange Membranes Wrubel, Jacob A.; Peracchio, Aldo A.; Cassenti, Brice N. Journal of The Electrochemical Society, Vol. 166, Issue 14 https://doi.org/10.1149/2.0481914jes	journal	January 2019
Anion Exchange Membrane Fuel Cell Performance in the Presence of Carbon Dioxide: An Investigation into the Self-Purging Mechanism Wrubel, Jacob A.; Peracchio, Aldo A.; Cassenti, Brice N. Journal of The Electrochemical Society, Vol. 166, Issue 12 https://doi.org/10.1149/2.0801912jes	journal	January 2019

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