Characterization of static and dynamic properties of water droplets on fibrous media

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Fuel Cells have the potential of providing clean energy conversion for a large range of applications, including residential power and road transportation. Polymer electrolyte membrane (PEM) fuel cells, which are the focus of this research, produce heat and water as by-products. The presence of liquid water can induce flooding of one of the key components, the porous gas diffusion electrodes, and result in "asphyxiation" of the fuel cell as well as degradation. In order to devise appropriate water management strategies, it is necessary to observe and understand the liquid water transport in the complex fibrous media that make up the porous electrodes.  The instrumentation acquired with this infrastructure grant will allow investigation and characterization of surface and interfacial properties of wetted layers of fibrous materials used in the electrodes of polymer electrolyte fuel cells fuel. This information will be directly feed into modelling and development of "smart" gas diffusion layer in collaboration with with leading industrial partners to increase the efficiency, reliability and lifetime of fuel cells.