Patterned catalyst layer boosts the performance of proton exchange membrane fuel cells by optimizing water management

doi:10.1016/j.cjche.2021.06.001

Chinese Journal of Chemical Engineering ›› 2022, Vol. 44 ›› Issue (4): 246-252.DOI: 10.1016/j.cjche.2021.06.001

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Patterned catalyst layer boosts the performance of proton exchange membrane fuel cells by optimizing water management

Yingjie Zhou, Wenhui Zhang, Shengwei Yu, Haibo Jiang, Chunzhong Li

Key Laboratory for Ultrafine Materials of Ministry of Education, Shanghai Engineering Research Center of Hierarchical Nanomaterials, School of Materials Science and Engineering, East China University of Science & Technology, Shanghai 200237, China

Received:2021-02-03 Revised:2021-05-29 Online:2022-06-18 Published:2022-04-28
Contact: Haibo Jiang,E-mail:jianghaibo@ecust.edu.cn;Chunzhong Li,E-mail:czli@ecust.edu.cn
Supported by:
This work was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (21838003, 91834301), the Shanghai Scientific and Technological Innovation Project (18JC1410600, 19JC1410400), the Social Development Program of Shanghai (17DZ1200900), the Innovation Program of Shanghai Municipal Education Commission, and the Fundamental Research Funds for the Central Universities (222201718002).

Patterned catalyst layer boosts the performance of proton exchange membrane fuel cells by optimizing water management

Yingjie Zhou, Wenhui Zhang, Shengwei Yu, Haibo Jiang, Chunzhong Li

Key Laboratory for Ultrafine Materials of Ministry of Education, Shanghai Engineering Research Center of Hierarchical Nanomaterials, School of Materials Science and Engineering, East China University of Science & Technology, Shanghai 200237, China

通讯作者: Haibo Jiang,E-mail:jianghaibo@ecust.edu.cn;Chunzhong Li,E-mail:czli@ecust.edu.cn
基金资助:
This work was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (21838003, 91834301), the Shanghai Scientific and Technological Innovation Project (18JC1410600, 19JC1410400), the Social Development Program of Shanghai (17DZ1200900), the Innovation Program of Shanghai Municipal Education Commission, and the Fundamental Research Funds for the Central Universities (222201718002).

Abstract

Abstract: Mass transport is crucial to the performance of proton exchange membrane fuel cells, especially at high current densities. Generally, the oxygen and the generated water share same transmission medium but move towards opposite direction, which leads to serious mass transfer problems. Herein, a series of patterned catalyst layer were prepared with a simple one-step impressing method using nylon sieves as templates. With grooves 100 μm in width and 8 μm in depth on the surface of cathode catalyst layer,the maximum power density of fuel cell increases by 10% without any additional durability loss while maintaining a similar electrochemical surface area. The concentration contours calculated by finite element analysis reveal that the grooves built on the surface of catalyst layer serve to accumulate the water nearby while oxygen tends to transfer through relatively convex region, which results from capillary pressure difference caused by the pore structure difference between the two regions. The separation of oxidant gas and generated water avoids mass confliction thus boosts mass transport efficiency.

Key words: Water management, Mass transfer, Patterned catalyst layer, Proton exchange membrane fuel cells, Finite element analysis

摘要： Mass transport is crucial to the performance of proton exchange membrane fuel cells, especially at high current densities. Generally, the oxygen and the generated water share same transmission medium but move towards opposite direction, which leads to serious mass transfer problems. Herein, a series of patterned catalyst layer were prepared with a simple one-step impressing method using nylon sieves as templates. With grooves 100 μm in width and 8 μm in depth on the surface of cathode catalyst layer,the maximum power density of fuel cell increases by 10% without any additional durability loss while maintaining a similar electrochemical surface area. The concentration contours calculated by finite element analysis reveal that the grooves built on the surface of catalyst layer serve to accumulate the water nearby while oxygen tends to transfer through relatively convex region, which results from capillary pressure difference caused by the pore structure difference between the two regions. The separation of oxidant gas and generated water avoids mass confliction thus boosts mass transport efficiency.

关键词: Water management, Mass transfer, Patterned catalyst layer, Proton exchange membrane fuel cells, Finite element analysis

Yingjie Zhou, Wenhui Zhang, Shengwei Yu, Haibo Jiang, Chunzhong Li. Patterned catalyst layer boosts the performance of proton exchange membrane fuel cells by optimizing water management[J]. Chinese Journal of Chemical Engineering, 2022, 44(4): 246-252.

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Patterned catalyst layer boosts the performance of proton exchange membrane fuel cells by optimizing water management

Patterned catalyst layer boosts the performance of proton exchange membrane fuel cells by optimizing water management

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