In-depth understanding of the CO<sub>2</sub> limitation of air fed anion exchange membrane fuel cells

Divekar, Ashutosh G.; Yang-Neyerlin, Ami C.; Antunes, Christopher M; Strasser, Derek J.; Motz, Andrew R.; Seifert, Söenke; Zuo, Xiaobing; Pivovar, Bryan S.; Herring, Andrew M.

doi:10.1039/c9se01212e

Cited by 9 publications

(8 citation statements)

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“…After OCV stabilized, a constant voltage of 0.5 V was applied to "break-in" the cell and remove carbonates from the MEA that resulted from exposure to air during cell assembly. 18,32 Break-in was done until a plateau in the current density was observed, which usually took around 40-50 min. Polarization curves were measured by sweeping voltage from OCV to 0.1 V at a scan rate of 10 mVs −1 at various RH conditions.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Editors’ Choice—Examining Performance and Durability of Anion Exchange Membrane Fuel Cells with Novel Spirocyclic Anion Exchange Membranes

Yang-Neyerlin

Medina

Meek

et al. 2021

J. Electrochem. Soc.

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A series of spirocyclic copolymer membranes with varying ion exchange capacities (IECs) were investigated to probe the impact of polymer properties on in situ fuel cell performance and stability. In-situ electrochemical tests and post-mortem electron microscopy analysis of cross-sectioned membrane electrode assemblies (MEAs) have been combined with voltage loss breakdown analysis to evaluate the performance and degradation of different MEAs, and to probe the catalyst morphology and electrode structure at different stages of operation. Voltage loss breakdown results show that membrane degradation and kinetic losses played only a minor role in observed performance degradation and that performance losses were primarily related to increasing mass transport losses. From microscopy studies, carbon corrosion and Pt nanoparticle growth were identified at both the cathode and anode although more pronounced on the cathode resulting in significant structural changes. The membrane with the lowest IEC (1.3 mmolg −1 ) demonstrated the lowest peak power density~1.16 W cm −2 , however, it showed the most stable performance (constant 0.6 A cm −2 hold) with~5% degradation over 540 h. Isolation of performance losses and microscopic analysis of electrodes for anion exchange membrane fuel cells has not been reported previously, and these results help identify critical performance degradation concerns.

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Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Editors’ Choice—Examining Performance and Durability of Anion Exchange Membrane Fuel Cells with Novel Spirocyclic Anion Exchange Membranes

Yang-Neyerlin

Medina

Meek

et al. 2021

J. Electrochem. Soc.

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“…One of the reasons for this low performance is the high cell resistance of 1 wt% K 2 CO 3 -fed AEMWEs because of their lower mobility, approximately 3-4 times in the presence of carbonate and bicarbonate ions, compared to a carbonate ion-free system. 75,76 The literature survey indicates that the performance of current PGM-free catalyzed AEMWEs increases in the order: concentrated KOH-fed (Fig. 4a, light blue) c pure water-fed (Fig.…”

Section: View Article Onlinementioning

confidence: 99%

Durability of anion exchange membrane water electrolyzers

Motz

Bae

et al. 2021

Energy Environ. Sci.

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“…Therefore, the CO 2 reaction not only affects the conductivity but also affects the overall polymer morphology. Combined, this says that the introduction of carbonate to the operating AEMFC can lower the water uptake of the AEMs [ 52 ]. However, this has never been directly measured in an operating cell.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Effect of Membrane Properties on the Carbonation of Anion Exchange Membrane Fuel Cells

et al. 2021

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Anion exchange membrane fuel cells (AEMFC) are potentially very low-cost replacements for proton exchange membrane fuel cells. However, AEMFCs suffer from one very serious drawback: significant performance loss when CO2 is present in the reacting oxidant gas (e.g., air) due to carbonation. Although the chemical mechanisms for how carbonation leads to voltage loss in operating AEMFCs are known, the way those mechanisms are affected by the properties of the anion exchange membrane (AEM) has not been elucidated. Therefore, this work studies AEMFC carbonation using numerous high-functioning AEMs from the literature and it was found that the ionic conductivity of the AEM plays the most critical role in the CO2-related voltage loss from carbonation, with the degree of AEM crystallinity playing a minor role. In short, higher conductivity—resulting either from a reduction in the membrane thickness or a change in the polymer chemistry—results in faster CO2 migration and emission from the anode side. Although this does lead to a lower overall degree of carbonation in the polymer, it also increases CO2-related voltage loss. Additionally, an operando neutron imaging cell is used to show that as AEMFCs become increasingly carbonated their water content is reduced, which further drives down cell performance.

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In-depth understanding of the CO₂ limitation of air fed anion exchange membrane fuel cells

Abstract: Ex situ physico-chemical, electrochemical, and morphological analysis sheds light on the CO2 limitation of ambient air anion exchange membrane fuel cells.

Cited by 9 publications

References 50 publications

Editors’ Choice—Examining Performance and Durability of Anion Exchange Membrane Fuel Cells with Novel Spirocyclic Anion Exchange Membranes

Editors’ Choice—Examining Performance and Durability of Anion Exchange Membrane Fuel Cells with Novel Spirocyclic Anion Exchange Membranes

Durability of anion exchange membrane water electrolyzers

Effect of Membrane Properties on the Carbonation of Anion Exchange Membrane Fuel Cells

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In-depth understanding of the CO2 limitation of air fed anion exchange membrane fuel cells

Abstract: Ex situ physico-chemical, electrochemical, and morphological analysis sheds light on the CO2 limitation of ambient air anion exchange membrane fuel cells.

Cited by 9 publications

References 50 publications

Editors’ Choice—Examining Performance and Durability of Anion Exchange Membrane Fuel Cells with Novel Spirocyclic Anion Exchange Membranes

Editors’ Choice—Examining Performance and Durability of Anion Exchange Membrane Fuel Cells with Novel Spirocyclic Anion Exchange Membranes

Durability of anion exchange membrane water electrolyzers

Effect of Membrane Properties on the Carbonation of Anion Exchange Membrane Fuel Cells

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Product

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In-depth understanding of the CO₂ limitation of air fed anion exchange membrane fuel cells