Water Management in the PEM Fuel Cell by Incorporating a Novel Siloxane Polymer in the Electrode Layer
The purpose of this work was to alleviate the water issue present in Nafion¿¿-based PEM fuel cells operating at low relative humidity conditions by employing a hydrophilic substance COMP-1 in the electrode layer. This modified electrode was hypothesized to prevent the cell from dehydrating by retaining water in the catalyst layer. The improvement would accelerate PEM fuel cell technology to be commercialized in the automotive sector. Through evaluating the important overpotentials dominated by kinetic, ohmic resistance and mass transport limitations, the results show a positive influence of COMP-1 at 50% to 60% RH conditions, but it is not clear that water retention is the cause.
Alternative Energy, Chemical Engineering, Energy, Engineering, PEM fuel cell, Electrode Engineering, Water Management, Nafion Eledtrolyte, Composite Electrode
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