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

燃料电池技术受到关键的成本、效率和退化问题的困扰，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，当前的聚合物电解质膜燃料电池（PEMFC）技术的许多限制被其膜电极组件（MEA）的当前设计引入或加剧。均匀构造的MEA（即工业标准）在电流、压力、反应物浓度、水分布和温度的分布方面存在不均匀性，导致燃料电池上的许多非预期梯度，其作用是不均匀地利用并因此降解催化剂、其载体和离子传导膜。在HETEROMEA中，我们将了解和理解内在异质性对MEA性能和耐久性的影响。这种理解将被用来通知下一代多边环境协定中的材料非均匀的设计和实施，以“平滑”低效梯度，并在运行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;也就是说，我们将制定多边环境协定，在一些实施例中，金属材料（包括例如Pt、离聚物、孔隙率、膜）智能地不均匀分布，从而减轻性能和耐久性损失。这将通过使用机器人超声波喷涂来实现，这是一种允许灵活但精确控制材料装载和分配的工具。因此，HETEROMEA将在催化剂利用率、传质阻力、电荷转移阻力和溢流方面提供显著改善，同时使用标准范围的工业相关燃料电池材料（例如商业催化剂）。

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).