Impact of a gas diffusion layer's structural and textural properties on oxygen mass transport resistance in the cathode and performance of proton exchange membrane fuel cells

Reshetenko, Tatyana V.; Ben, Bonnie L.

doi:10.1016/j.electacta.2021.137752

Cited by 29 publications

(20 citation statements)

References 59 publications

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“…We decomposed k O 2 for SGL 22BB in Table S7 by using characterization data from fuel cell research. Based on the data of Reshetenko and Ben, 52 we estimated the mass transfer coefficients of k O 2 , CFS = 2.60 cm s –1 , k O 2 , MPL = 5.97 cm s –1 , and k O 2 , CL = 0.108 cm s –1 . We note that k O 2 , MPL has a higher value than k O 2 , CFS because the MPL is an order of magnitude thinner than the CFS.…”

Section: Results and Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Narrow Pressure Stability Window of Gas Diffusion Electrodes Limits the Scale-Up of CO₂ Electrolyzers

Baumgartner

Koopman

Forner‐Cuenca

et al. 2022

ACS Sustainable Chem. Eng.

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Electrochemical CO 2 reduction is a promising process to store intermittent renewable energy in the form of chemical bonds and to meet the demand for hydrocarbon chemicals without relying on fossil fuels. Researchers in the field have used gas diffusion electrodes (GDEs) to supply CO 2 to the catalyst layer from the gas phase. This approach allows us to bypass mass transfer limitations imposed by the limited solubility and diffusion of CO 2 in the liquid phase at a laboratory scale. However, at a larger scale, pressure differences across the porous gas diffusion layer can occur. This can lead to flooding and electrolyte breakthrough, which can decrease performance. The aim of this study is to understand the effects of the GDE structure on flooding behavior and CO 2 reduction performance. We approach the problem by preparing GDEs from commercial substrates with a range of structural parameters (carbon fiber structure, thickness, and cracks). We then determined the liquid breakthrough pressure and measured the Faradaic efficiency for CO at an industrially relevant current density. We found that there is a trade-off between flooding resistance and mass transfer capabilities that limits the maximum GDE height of a flow-by electrolyzer. This trade-off depends strongly on the thickness and the structure of the carbon fiber substrate. We propose a design strategy for a hierarchically structured GDE, which might offer a pathway to an industrial scale by avoiding the trade-off between flooding resistance and CO 2 reduction performance.

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Section: Results and Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Narrow Pressure Stability Window of Gas Diffusion Electrodes Limits the Scale-Up of CO₂ Electrolyzers

Baumgartner

Koopman

Forner‐Cuenca

et al. 2022

ACS Sustainable Chem. Eng.

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“…They are the gas diffusion layer (GDL), microporous layer (MPL), and catalyst layer (CL) [25] . The GDL and MPL ensure the transport of O 2 to reach the CL [26] . In the CL, the O 2 reacts in the gaseous form, and the ORR takes place at the triple‐phase boundary (TPB), a region where the gas, solid, and liquid contact [27] .…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…[25] The GDL and MPL ensure the transport of O 2 to reach the CL. [26] In the CL, the O 2 reacts in the gaseous form, and the ORR takes place at the triple-phase boundary (TPB), a region where the gas, solid, and liquid contact. [27] Figure 5b shows ohmicresistance-compensated linear sweep voltammograms (LSV) of the eight N/C-x% CO 2 catalysts.…”

Section: Rrde and Fc Test Of N/c-x% Co 2 Catalystsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Impact of Pore Structure on Two‐Electron Oxygen Reduction Reaction in Nitrogen‐Doped Carbon Materials: Rotating Ring‐Disk Electrode vs. Flow Cell

Wang

et al. 2022

ChemSusChem

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The impact of pore structure on the two‐electron oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) in nitrogen‐doped carbon materials is currently under debate, and previous studies are mainly limited to the rotating ring‐disk electrode (RRDE) rather than the practical flow cell (FC) system. In this study, assisted by a group of reliable pore models, the impact of two pore structure parameters, that is, Brunauer–Emmett–Teller surface area (SBET) and micropore surface fraction (fmicro), on ORR activity and selectivity are investigated in both RRDE and FC. The ORR mass activity correlates positively to the SBET in the RRDE and FC because a higher SBET can host more active sites. The H2O2 selectivity is independent of fmicro in the RRDE but correlates negatively to fmicro in the FC. The inconsistency results from different states of the electrode in the RRDE and the FC. These insights will guide the design of carbon materials for H2O2 synthesis.

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“…In high current densities, PEMFCs suffer from concentration loss or, in other words, oxygen starvation [12]. Some studies focused on the transport of oxygen [4,[12][13][14][15][16][17][18]. Reshetenko and Polevaya [4] investigated a single cell open flow field PEMFC and reported the resistance against oxygen transport resistance and illustrated the dominant diffusion mechanism.…”

Section: -Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Cathode Side Transport Phenomena Investigation and Multi-Objective Optimization of a Tapered Parallel Flow Field PEMFC

Jabbary

Ghasabehi

Shams

2022

Preprint

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A Proton Exchange Membrane Fuel Cell (PEMFC) provides stable, emission-free, high-efficiency power. Water management and durability of PEMFCs are directly affected by transport phenomena at the cathode side. In the present study, transport phenomena are investigated and optimized in a tapered parallel flow field. Main channels in the flow field are tapered, which increases limiting current density by 41%. Two objectives, i.e. water saturation and transport resistance, are considered metrics for transport phenomena in a tapered parallel flow field PEMFC. Operating pressure, temperature, stoichiometries at both sides, and the porosity of gas diffusion layers are selected as parameters to be optimized. Two functions are generated for objectives by integrating 3D multiphase-flow computational fluid dynamics and Response Surface Methodology. Multi-Objective Optimization (MOO) is carried out with two different methods. Multi-Objective Particle Swarm Optimization (MOPSO) and Non-dominated Sorting Genetic Algorithm II (NSGA-II) are employed to produce two challenging Pareto fronts. The results demonstrate that MOPSO performs better than NSGA-II. MOPSO recognized quite the same Pareto front with lower runtime. In the last step, the Technique of Order Preference Similarity to the Ideal Solution (TOPSIS) is used to select an optimum point from the Pareto front. The results are compared against experimental data, and good correspondence is observed. The optimum features are temperature 323, pressure 1 atm, anode stoichiometry 3, cathode stoichiometry 2.62, and porosity 0.68. The porosity and pressure played the most significant roles in determining water saturation and resistance.

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Impact of a gas diffusion layer's structural and textural properties on oxygen mass transport resistance in the cathode and performance of proton exchange membrane fuel cells

Cited by 29 publications

References 59 publications

Narrow Pressure Stability Window of Gas Diffusion Electrodes Limits the Scale-Up of CO₂ Electrolyzers

Narrow Pressure Stability Window of Gas Diffusion Electrodes Limits the Scale-Up of CO₂ Electrolyzers

Impact of Pore Structure on Two‐Electron Oxygen Reduction Reaction in Nitrogen‐Doped Carbon Materials: Rotating Ring‐Disk Electrode vs. Flow Cell

Cathode Side Transport Phenomena Investigation and Multi-Objective Optimization of a Tapered Parallel Flow Field PEMFC

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Impact of a gas diffusion layer's structural and textural properties on oxygen mass transport resistance in the cathode and performance of proton exchange membrane fuel cells

Cited by 29 publications

References 59 publications

Narrow Pressure Stability Window of Gas Diffusion Electrodes Limits the Scale-Up of CO2 Electrolyzers

Narrow Pressure Stability Window of Gas Diffusion Electrodes Limits the Scale-Up of CO2 Electrolyzers

Impact of Pore Structure on Two‐Electron Oxygen Reduction Reaction in Nitrogen‐Doped Carbon Materials: Rotating Ring‐Disk Electrode vs. Flow Cell

Cathode Side Transport Phenomena Investigation and Multi-Objective Optimization of a Tapered Parallel Flow Field PEMFC

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Narrow Pressure Stability Window of Gas Diffusion Electrodes Limits the Scale-Up of CO₂ Electrolyzers

Narrow Pressure Stability Window of Gas Diffusion Electrodes Limits the Scale-Up of CO₂ Electrolyzers