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Performance of the HT-PEM Membrane Electrode Assembly

2013; Institute of Physics; Volume: 50; Issue: 2 Linguagem: Inglês

10.1149/05002.1127ecst

2151-2051

Hans Aage Hjuler, Thomas Steenberg, Carina Terkelsen, T. Holst, Héctor R. García, Kevin Cooper,

Electrocatalysts for Energy Conversion

High Temperature Polymer Electrolyte Membrane (HT-PEM) Fuel Cells provide an attractive alternative to Low Temperature (LT) PEM fuel cells with respect to fuel flexibility, simplified cooling system and balance of plant, higher value waste heat and no need for humidification of reactants. Polybenzimidazole (PBI) membranes doped with phosphoric acid have been demonstrated to be the most successful system to achieve high temperature operation of HT-PEM fuel cells. HT-PEM fuel cells face a number of challenges related to the performance that needs to be addressed. In this work we present the recent PBI membrane and single-cell fuel cell testing results with respect to performance and durability. In addition, we present results on the in-plane and through-plane ionic conductivity of phosphoric acid-doped PBI membrane. Lastly, we show preliminary results on post-mortem cell characterizations which are the key for understanding the breakdown mechanisms and maximizing cell performance and lifetime.