Water Management Characterization on Gas Diffusion Layers on Fuel Cells

聚合物电解质膜燃料电池在氢气和空气中运行，代表了目前在汽车和其他移动应用中取代内燃机的最佳技术。燃料电池提供的高能量和功率密度(相当于续航里程和马力)是任何替代技术(即锂离子电池、超级电容器)无法比拟的。燃料电池商业化道路上的主要技术障碍之一是高昂的成本。促进电化学反应所需的铂基材料价格昂贵；与其他系统组件不同，这一成本不会以规模经济的方式降低。在降低每个电池的铂含量方面做出了重大努力，并取得了显著的降低，但由于性能和耐用性问题，这一战略正在接近极限。每节电池减少铂的替代方案是减少电池数量。这可以通过在更高的电流密度(每个电池的电流)下操作来实现，但这种方法伴随着几个必须管理的负面副作用；主要的担忧源于电池内水的过度产生。这项合作将开发一套实验和理论工具，以更好地了解水蒸气和液态水是如何在大电流下在电池中形成和传输的。

Polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cells operating on hydrogen and air represent the best currently available technology for replacing the internal combustion engine in automotive and other mobile applications. The high energy and power density (equivalent to range and horsepower) offered by fuel cells is unrivaled by any alternative technology (i.e. lithium-ion batteries, ultra-capacitors). One of the major technological hurdles on the path to fuel cell commercialization is high cost. The platinum-based materials required to facilitate the electrochemical reactions are expensive; and unlike other system components, this cost will not decrease at economies of scale. Major efforts have been directed at reducing the platinum content per cell and significant reductions have been achieved, but this strategy is approaching a limit due to performance and durability issues. The alternative to less platinum per cell is to reduce the number of cells. This can be accomplished by operating at higher current density (current per cell), but this approach is accompanied by several negative side-effects that must be managed; the main concerns stem from the excessive generation of water inside the cell. This collaboration will develop a suite of experimental and theoretical tools for better understanding of how water vapor and liquid water are formed and transported in the cell at high currents.