A pore-scale description of species and charge transport through a bilayer cathode catalyst layer CL of a polymer electrolyte fuel cell using a direct numerical simulation DNS model is presented. Two realizations of the bilayer catalyst layer structure are generated using a stochastic reconstruction technique with varied electrolyte and void phase volume fractions. The DNS calculations predict ...

Better understanding of true electrochemical reaction behaviors in electrochemical energy devices has long been desired. It has been assumed so far that the reactions occur across the entire catalyst layer (CL), which is designed and fabricated uniformly with catalysts, conductors of protons and electrons, and pathways for reactants and products. By introducing a state-of-the-art characterizati...

This paper reviewed over 100 articles on the subject of the mechanism of catalyst layer (CL) degradation and the effect of various contaminations in the polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cell (PEMFC). Also the recovery of PEMFC via different types of methods, the causes and fundamental mechanisms of cell degradation and their influence on long- term performance of PEM fuel cell were discussed i...

In this investigation, a parametric study was performed using the transient cold-start model presented in our previous paper, in which the ice melting process and additional constitutive relations were newly included for transient cold-start simulations of polymer electrolyte fuel cells (PEFCs) from a sub-zero temperature (-20°C) to a normal operating temperature (80°C). The focus is placed on ...

In this work, an analytical model of the microporous layer MPL and the catalyst layer CL interface under compression is developed to investigate the effects of the MPL|CL interfacial morphology on the ohmic and mass transport losses at the MPL|CL interface in a polymer electrolyte fuel cell PEFC . The model utilizes experimentally measured surface profile data as input. Results indicate that th...

The cathode catalyst layer (CL) in direct methanol fuel cells (DMFCs) has been optimized through a balance of ionomer and porosity distributions, oth playing important roles in affecting proton conduction and oxygen transport through a thick CL of DMFC. The effects of fabrication rocedure, ionomer content, and Pt distribution on the microstructure and performance of a cathode CL under low air f...

An ionic liquid (IL), 1-butyl-3-methylimidazolium chloride ([Bmim]Cl) can assemble on prefabricated carboxylic acid-terminated chemical patterns on octadecyltrichlorosilane (OTS) film. The chemical pattern controls the position, shape and size of the IL on the surface. After the IL assembly - by incubating IL drops assembled on sample surface in an OTS silane vapor - an OTS layer was coated on ...

The supported palladium nanoparticles catalyst with uniform-sized Pd particles distribution and without nitrogen or chlorine atoms present in catalyst was prepared by calcination of the supported [Pd(lysine·HCl)(Cl)2] complex as precursor and characterized by TEM. Moreover the supported [Pd(lysine·HCl)(Cl)2] complex was from cation exchanging [Pd(lysine·HCl)(Cl)2] complex with inorganic support...

The structure of a catalyst layer (CL) significantly impacts the performance, durability, and cost proton exchange membrane (PEM) fuel cells is influenced by ink CL formation process. However, relationship between composition, formulation, preparation process still not completely understood. This review, therefore, focuses on effect structure. depends microstructure macroscopic properties ink, ...

To approach this goal, we develop a detailed 1D model to describe the DMFC on the electrode and cell level, based on the in-house modeling framework DENIS. A two-phase flow model is implemented for the transport in gas diffusion layer (GDL) and catalyst layer (CL) at the anode side, whereas we consider only the gas phase at the cathode side. Electrochemistry is described by multistep mechanisms...