Intermediate Temperature PEFC's with Nafion^® 211 Membrane Electrolytes: An Experimental and Numerical Study

Area of Science:

• Electrochemistry
• Materials Science
• Chemical Engineering

Background:

• Increasing fuel cell operating temperature offers system-level advantages.
• Membrane durability issues currently limit high-temperature fuel cell research.
• Advanced modeling can provide insights into complex fuel cell systems.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate Nafion 211 performance at elevated temperatures (up to 120 °C).
• To investigate fuel cell behavior under varying temperatures and pressures using a validated model.
• To identify optimal operating conditions for enhanced membrane performance.

Main Methods:

• An experimentally validated model was developed and trained on existing data.
• The model predicted Nafion 211 behavior within the membrane at various conditions.
• Performance was analyzed across a range of temperatures and pressures.

Main Results:

• Nafion 211 exhibits unique characteristics at elevated temperatures.
• Highest performance was observed at 100 °C and 100% relative humidity.
• Optimal membrane performance was predicted at 100 °C and 3 bar pressure.

Conclusions:

• The study identifies 100 °C and 3 bar as optimal conditions for Nafion 211 performance.
• Modeling reveals previously unreported performance characteristics of Nafion 211 at high temperatures.
• Findings suggest potential for overcoming durability limitations to enable higher operating temperatures.