An Investigation of Different Methods of Fabricating Membrane Electrode Assemblies for Methanol Fuel Cells

Methanol fuel cells are electrochemical conversion devices that produce electricity from methanol fuel. The current process of fabricating membrane electrode assemblies (MEAs) is tedious and if it is not sufficiently controlled can be very imprecise. The optimization of this process is paramount to the commercialization and mass production of methanol fuel cells. In order to further understanding this process, MEAs were fabricated according to the decal method using different processes to apply the catalyst ink. The performances of fabricated MEAs were evaluated using a potentiostat. Polarization curves and power density curves were produced to compare the performance of the cells and gain insight into the effects of various parameters on fuel cell performance. Finally, based on the difficulties experienced and the lessons learned during the process, recommendations for future experimentation were made.

Department dc:contributor.department

Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Dept. of Mechanical Engineering.

Grantor dc:publisher

Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Year dc:date.issued

2009

Author dc:creator

• Hall, Kwame (Kwame J.)

Advisor dc:contributor.advisor

• Jung-Hoon Chun.

• Mechanical Engineering.

Statement dc:rights

• M.I.T. theses are protected by copyright. They may be viewed from this source for any purpose, but reproduction or distribution in any format is prohibited without written permission. See provided URL for inquiries about permission.

Licence dc:rights.uri

• http://dspace.mit.edu/handle/1721.1/7582

Language dc:language.iso

eng

Handle dc:identifier.uri

http://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/54474

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:dspace.mit.edu:1721.1/54474