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Physical degradation of cathode catalyst layer: A major contributor to accelerated water flooding in long-term operation of DMFCs

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  • Mehmood, Asad
  • An, Myung-Gi
  • Ha, Heung Yong

Abstract

This study presents a comprehensive investigation on the water flooding of direct methanol fuel cells (DMFCs) during long-term testing with regard to the structural changes of the catalyst layer and gas diffusion layer (GDL) of the cathode. Two separate durability operations of DMFCs are conducted for 1000 and 1261h in order to determine the relative contributions of the cathode catalyst layer and the GDL to time-dependent water flooding during the aging process. The voltage decay rates caused by flooding and non-flooding degradation phenomena are calculated and compared. DMFCs undergo serious voltage decay due to water accumulation in the cathode, and the rate of flooding degradation multiplies approximately every 500h during the duration of testing. The cathode catalyst layer is found to be severely deformed due to surface wrinkling and cracking during the aging of the membrane electrode assembly (MEA). The morphological alteration of the cathode catalyst layer, particularly the formation of wide and deep cracks is identified as the main reason for the acceleration of water flooding, while degradation of the cathode GDL is minor. This demonstrates that during the long-term operation of DMFCs, the physical disintegration of the cathode catalyst layer is a crucial issue affecting water management, which should be carefully addressed.

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  • Mehmood, Asad & An, Myung-Gi & Ha, Heung Yong, 2014. "Physical degradation of cathode catalyst layer: A major contributor to accelerated water flooding in long-term operation of DMFCs," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 129(C), pages 346-353.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:appene:v:129:y:2014:i:c:p:346-353
    DOI: 10.1016/j.apenergy.2014.05.016
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Kim, Joon-Hee & Yang, Min-Jee & Park, Jun-Young, 2014. "Improvement on performance and efficiency of direct methanol fuel cells using hydrocarbon-based membrane electrode assembly," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 115(C), pages 95-102.
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    4. Mehmood, Asad & Ha, Heung Yong, 2014. "Performance restoration of direct methanol fuel cells in long-term operation using a hydrogen evolution method," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 114(C), pages 164-171.
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    Cited by:

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    5. Lochner, Tim & Hallitzky, Laurens & Perchthaler, Markus & Obermaier, Michael & Sabawa, Jarek & Enz, Simon & Bandarenka, Aliaksandr S., 2020. "Local degradation effects in automotive size membrane electrode assemblies under realistic operating conditions," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 260(C).

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