Bulk and interfacial transport properties of porous fuel cell materials

这项拟议研究的目的是通过汽车燃料电池合作公司(AFCC)为燃料电池开发商梅赛德斯-奔驰和福特提供预测模型和量化决定聚合物电解质膜燃料电池(PEMFC)中热、质量和电荷传递的有效参数。核心部件包括膜、催化层和多孔电极(气体扩散层)。当组合形成膜电极组件(MEA)时，这些组件决定了集成燃料电池产品的性能、耐用性和成本。质子交换膜燃料电池的性能和耐久性在很大程度上取决于传输过程的规律性和有效性，而传输过程又由MEA中每一层的结构、几何和表面属性决定。MEA层中多孔、微/纳米结构材料的形态复杂，再加上燃料电池运行条件(温度、夹紧压力和相对湿度)的影响，使得现场传输特性的确定成为一个巨大的挑战，在很大程度上，这一问题仍然没有得到解决。阐明MEA中微结构和操作条件之间的关系可以降低当前燃料电池设计的成本。

The objectives of the proposed research are to provide fuel cell developers, Mercedes Benz and Ford through Automotive Fuel Cell Cooperation (AFCC), with predictive models and quantification of the effective parameters that determine transfer of heat, mass, and charge in a polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cell (PEMFC). The core components include the membrane, catalyst layer, and porous electrode (gas diffusion layer). When combined to form a membrane-electrode assembly (MEA), these components determine the performance, durability, and cost of integrated fuel cell products. The performance and durability of PEMFCs depend heavily on the regulation and effectiveness of the transport processes, which in turn are determined by structural, geometric, and surface properties of each layer in an MEA. The morphological complexity of the porous, micro/nano-structured materials in the MEA layers, coupled with the effects of fuel cell operating conditions (temperature, clamping pressure, and relative humidity), make determination of in-situ transport properties a tremendous challenge, which, for the most part, remains unresolved. Elucidating the relationships between microstructural and operating conditions in the MEA can reduce the cost of current fuel cell designs.