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Title: Durability of Polymer Electrolyte Membrane Fuel Cells Operated at Subfreezing Temperatures

Journal Article · · Journal of the Electrochemical Society
DOI:https://doi.org/10.1149/2.0191613jes· OSTI ID:1374332
 [1];  [1];  [1];  [2];  [2];  [3];  [1];  [1]
  1. Los Alamos National Lab. (LANL), Los Alamos, NM (United States)
  2. National Inst. of Standards and Technology (NIST), Gaithersburg, MD (United States). Center for Neutron Research
  3. Oak Ridge National Lab. (ORNL), Oak Ridge, TN (United States)

The structure, composition, and interfaces of membrane electrode assemblies (MEA) and gas-diffusion layers (GDLs) have a significant effect on the performance of single-proton-exchange-membrane (PEM) fuel cells operated isothermally at subfreezing temperatures. During isothermal constant-current operation at subfreezing temperatures, water forming at the cathode initially hydrates the membrane, then forms ice in the catalyst layer and/or GDL. This ice formation results in a gradual decay in voltage. High-frequency resistance initially decreases due to an increase in membrane water content and then increases over time as the contact resistance increases. The water/ice holding capacity of a fuel cell decreases with decreasing subfreezing temperature (-10°C vs. -20°C vs. -30°C) and increasing current density (0.02 A cm-2 vs. 0.04 A cm-2). Ice formation monitored using in-situ high-resolution neutron radiography indicated that the ice was concentrated near the cathode catalyst layer at low operating temperatures (≈-20°C) and high current densities (0.04 A cm-2). Significant ice formation was also observed in the GDLs at higher subfreezing temperatures (≈-10°C) and lower current densities (0.02 A cm-2). These results are in good agreement with the long-term durability observations that show more severe degradation at lower temperatures (-20°C and -30°C).

Research Organization:
Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL), Los Alamos, NM (United States); National Inst. of Standards and Technology (NIST), Gaithersburg, MD (United States); Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL), Oak Ridge, TN (United States)
Sponsoring Organization:
USDOE Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE), Sustainable Transportation Office. Hydrogen Fuel Cell Technologies Office (HFTO); Dept. of Commerce (United States)
Grant/Contract Number:
AI01-01EE50660
OSTI ID:
1374332
Report Number(s):
LA-UR-17-22338
Journal Information:
Journal of the Electrochemical Society, Vol. 163, Issue 13; ISSN 0013-4651
Publisher:
The Electrochemical SocietyCopyright Statement
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English
Citation Metrics:
Cited by: 18 works
Citation information provided by
Web of Science

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Cited By (2)

Distinction between super-cooled water and ice with high duty cycle time-of-flight neutron imaging journal October 2019
Freezing Site of Super-Cooled Water and Failure Mechanism of Cold Start of PEFC journal January 2019