Rational Heterogeneity of Membrane Electrode Assemblies for Next-Generation Polymer Electrolyte Fuel Cells (HETEROMEA)

燃料电池技术面临着关键的成本、效率和退化问题，这些问题必须得到解决，才能充分发挥其商业潜力。不幸的是，目前聚合物电解质膜燃料电池(PEMFC)技术的许多局限性被其膜电极组件(MEA)的当前设计引入或加剧。均匀构建的MEA(即工业标准)存在电流、压力、反应物浓度、水分布和温度分布不均匀的问题，导致燃料电池中存在大量意外的梯度，这些梯度导致催化剂、催化剂载体和离子导电膜的不均匀使用，从而使其降解。在HETEROMEA中，我们将描述和了解内在异质性对MEA性能和耐用性的影响。这一理解将被用于指导下一代多边环境协定中材料的设计和实施，以“平滑”低效梯度，并在运行中的质子交换膜燃料电池中产生电流、水、反应物分压的均匀分布；即，我们将生产多边环境协定，其中成分(包括铂、离聚体、孔隙率、膜)智能地不均匀分布，从而减轻性能和耐用性的损失。这将通过使用机器人超声波喷印实现，这是一种允许对材料加载和分配进行灵活但精确控制的工具。因此，HETEROMEA将在催化剂利用率、质量传输阻力、电荷转移阻力和泛洪方面实现显著改善，同时使用一系列与行业相关的燃料电池材料(例如商用催化剂)。

Fuel cell technologies suffer from key cost, efficiency and degradation issues that must be resolved before they can reach their full commercial potential. Unfortunately many of the limitations of current polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cell (PEMFC) technologies are introduced, or exacerbated, by the current design of their membrane electrode assemblies (MEAs). Homogeneously constructed MEAs (i.e. the industrially standard) suffer from heterogeneity in the distribution of current, pressure, reactant concentration, water distribution and temperature, leading to numerous unintended gradients across the fuel cell which act to heterogeneously utilise, and therefore degrade, catalysts, their supports and ion conducting membranes. In HETEROMEA, we will characterise and understand the impact of intrinsic heterogeneity on MEA performance and durability. This understanding will be used to inform the design and implementation of material heterogeneously within next-generation MEAs, to 'smooth out' inefficient gradients and produce a homogeneous distribution of current, water, reactant partial pressure in operational PEMFCs; i.e. we will produce MEAs where the constituents (including e.g. Pt, ionomer, porosity, membrane) are intelligently distributed inhomogeneously, mitigating performance and durability losses. This will be enabled via the utilisation of robotic ultrasonic spray printing, a tool that allows flexible but precise control over material loading and distribution. HETEROMEA will therefore deliver a significant improvement in catalyst utilisation, mass transport resistance, charge transfer resistance and flooding, while using a standard range of industry-relevant fuel cell materials (e.g. commercial catalysts).