Simultaneous Measurements of Water Distribution and Electrochemical Characteristics in Polymer Electrolyte Fuel Cell

Simultaneous Measurements of Water Distribution and Electrochemical Characteristics in Polymer Electrolyte Fuel Cell

Hideki Murakawa, Syun Sakihara, Katsumi Sugimoto, Hitoshi Asano, Daisuke Ito, Yasushi Saito

Abstract. In this study, neutron radiography and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) were simultaneously used to evaluate the relation between the water amount and the electro chemical characteristics in a polymer electrolyte fuel cell (PEFC). Two-dimensional water distributions in the through-plane direction of the proton exchange membrane (PEM) were measured every 60 s during the PEFC operation. The results were compared with ionic and the polarization resistances obtained from EIS. The ionic conductivity through the PEM increased with an increase in the liquid-water content in the membrane. The effects of water content on the ionic conductivity were much smaller in comparison to the Springer’s model at a water content was less than 1. The polarization resistance increased with an increasing in liquid-water accumulation in the gas diffusion layer.

Keywords
PEFC, EIS, Water Content, Neutron Radiography

Published online 1/5/2020, 6 pages
Copyright © 2020 by the author(s)
Published under license by Materials Research Forum LLC., Millersville PA, USA

Citation: Hideki Murakawa, Syun Sakihara, Katsumi Sugimoto, Hitoshi Asano, Daisuke Ito, Yasushi Saito, Simultaneous Measurements of Water Distribution and Electrochemical Characteristics in Polymer Electrolyte Fuel Cell, Materials Research Proceedings, Vol. 15, pp 268-273, 2020

DOI: https://doi.org/10.21741/9781644900574-42

The article was published as article 42 of the book Neutron Radiography

Content from this work may be used under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 licence. Any further distribution of this work must maintain attribution to the author(s) and the title of the work, journal citation and DOI.

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