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Pore-scale investigation of catalyst layer ingredient and structure effect in proton exchange membrane fuel cell

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  • Hou, Yuze
  • Deng, Hao
  • Pan, Fengwen
  • Chen, Wenmiao
  • Du, Qing
  • Jiao, Kui

Abstract

A pore-scale model based on the lattice Boltzmann method (LBM) is developed to simulate the reactive transport processes in the cathode catalyst layer of a proton exchange membrane fuel cell (PEMFC). The porous structures of the cathode catalyst layers are reconstructed in the process-based method with the consideration of carbon supporter, platinum, ionomer and pores. Its characteristics are analyzed including pore size distribution, phase connectivity and active catalyst area. The effects of two critical parameters, platinum/catalyst (Pt/C) and ionomer/catalyst (I/C) ratios, and structure design are investigated in terms of oxygen concentration distribution, reactive area, and reaction rate. The results indicate that, under the constant platinum loading (0.3 mg cm−2), a higher Pt/C ratio yields a thinner catalyst layer, which significantly enhances the oxygen transport and improves the performance. For the same Pt/C ratio, although a higher I/C ratio brings more mass transport loss, it increases the active catalyst area and ultimately yields better performance. Therefore, the active catalyst area should be given precedence during catalyst layer fabrication. To realize a large active catalyst area on the premise of low transport loss, an ideal catalyst layer structure design is proposed and capable of improving the performance by 50%.

Suggested Citation

  • Hou, Yuze & Deng, Hao & Pan, Fengwen & Chen, Wenmiao & Du, Qing & Jiao, Kui, 2019. "Pore-scale investigation of catalyst layer ingredient and structure effect in proton exchange membrane fuel cell," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 253(C), pages 1-1.
  • Handle: RePEc:eee:appene:v:253:y:2019:i:c:95
    DOI: 10.1016/j.apenergy.2019.113561
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    Cited by:

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    2. Mengnan Wang & Jiaguang Zhang & Silvia Favero & Luke J. R. Higgins & Hui Luo & Ifan E. L. Stephens & Maria-Magdalena Titirici, 2024. "Resolving optimal ionomer interaction in fuel cell electrodes via operando X-ray absorption spectroscopy," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 15(1), pages 1-11, December.
    3. Olivier Bethoux, 2020. "Hydrogen Fuel Cell Road Vehicles: State of the Art and Perspectives," Energies, MDPI, vol. 13(21), pages 1-28, November.
    4. Lai, Tao & Qu, Zhiguo, 2023. "Two polytetrafluoroethylene distribution effects on liquid water dynamic behavior in gas diffusion layer of polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cell with a pore-scale method," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 271(C).
    5. Yang, Liu & Cao, Chenxi & Gan, Quanquan & Pei, Hao & Zhang, Qi & Li, Ping, 2022. "Revealing failure modes and effect of catalyst layer properties for PEM fuel cell cold start using an agglomerate model," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 312(C).
    6. Fan, Ruijia & Chang, Guofeng & Xu, Yiming & Xu, Jiamin, 2024. "Investigating and quantifying the effects of catalyst layer gradients, operating conditions, and their interactions on PEMFC performance through global sensitivity analysis," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 290(C).
    7. Teng Teng & Xin Zhang & Qicheng Xue & Baodi Zhang, 2024. "Research of Proton Exchange Membrane Fuel Cell Modeling on Concentration Polarization under Variable-Temperature Operating Conditions," Energies, MDPI, vol. 17(3), pages 1-17, February.
    8. Wan, Yue & Qiu, Diankai & Yi, Peiyun & Peng, Linfa & Lai, Xinmin, 2022. "Design and optimization of gradient wettability pore structure of adaptive PEM fuel cell cathode catalyst layer," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 312(C).
    9. Pan, Lyuming & Chen, Dongfang & Pei, Pucheng & Huang, Shangwei & Ren, Peng & Song, Xin, 2021. "A novel structural design of air cathodes expanding three-phase reaction interfaces for zinc-air batteries," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 290(C).

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