The synergetic effect of air pollutants and metal ions on performance of a 5kWproton‐exchange membrane fuel cell stack

Abstract

Summary Large‐scale commercialization of the proton‐exchange membrane fuel cell (PEMFC) is primarily hindered by cost and availability. In the presence of acidic air pollutants, metal ions impact on the durability of PEMFC. This study aimed at determining the effects of metal ions such as Al3+ and Fen+ that originate from the corrosion of aluminum alloy end plate or other metal components, on the performance of a 5 kW PEMFC stack under the synergetic effect of air pollutants. Results obtained from the 500 hours durability test indicated that performance decreased from an initial of 0.682 V to a final 0.623 V at a current density of 1000 mA cm−2. Findings of the energy dispersive spectrometer (EDS) characterization revealed that corrosion was predominant at the air inlet and outlet of the end plate. Metal ions were detected in both the anode and cathode catalyst layer (CL) and proton‐exchange membrane by EDS‐mapping. Compared to the control, it was found that the synergetic effect of metal ions and air pollutants accelerated the degradation of stack performance. This synergetic effect can be mitigated by improving the adsorption performance of filters or avoiding the use of materials with poor corrosion resistance in fuel cell systems.

Effect of Crown Ether Additives on the Enhanced Performance of Metallic Bipolar Plates for Proton Exchange Membrane Fuel Cells

“…The effect of metal cation contamination on the polarization performance of MEA has been investigated in many research studies. − As an extension of these experiments, we specifically analyzed polarization curves for the injection of three major metal cations (Fe 2+ , Cr 3+ , and Ni 2+ ) constituting SS316L to examine which metal cations affect the overpotential region, whether the reduced performance can be reversibly restored by the recovery protocol, and whether the CE can improve this recovery protocol. For the cell operation, the SS316L bipolar plate, Nafion (NR211) membrane, Nafion ionomer (D521), Pt/C (10F50E, 46.6 wt % Pt) catalyst, and GDLs (JNT20-A3) were used.…”

A Review of the Transition Region of Membrane Electrode Assembly of Proton Exchange Membrane Fuel Cells: Design, Degradation, and Mitigation

“…Membranes 2022, 12, x FOR PEER REVIEW 13 of 24 membrane and continuous release of fluoride ions, and will be more prone to pinholes and cracks [76]. The presence of cationic contaminants such as Fe 2+ , Cu 2+ , Al 3+ , etc., which are almost omnipresent in fuel cell environment, may accelerate the membrane degradation [77]. Additionally, the generation process and chemical degradation of free radicals can be accelerated under OCV and low humidity environments [9].2219 As shown in Figure 8a due to design tolerances, manufacturing or assembly errors, there may be a gap at the transition region, leaving the electrolyte membrane directly exposed to the circumstance.…”

“…In addition, it will lead to thinning of the membrane and continuous release of fluoride ions, and will be more prone to pinholes and cracks [ 76 ]. The presence of cationic contaminants such as Fe 2+ , Cu 2+ , Al 3+ , etc., which are almost omnipresent in fuel cell environment, may accelerate the membrane degradation [ 77 ]. Additionally, the generation process and chemical degradation of free radicals can be accelerated under OCV and low humidity environments [ 9 ].…”