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Polymer Electrolyte Membrane Fuel Cells and Electrolyzers
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Polymer Electrolyte Membrane Fuel Cells and Electrolyzers

A special issue of Energies (ISSN 1996-1073). This special issue belongs to the section "A5: Hydrogen Energy".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (20 July 2021) | Viewed by 35631

Special Issue Editor

Dr. Hee-Tak Kim

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Chemical Engineering, Dankook University, Yongin 16890, Republic of Korea
Interests: fuel cells; batteries; photopolymers; lithium sulfur, lithium metal, redox flow batteries; functional separator; polymer electrolyte

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

The Guest Editor is inviting submissions for a Special Issue of “Polymer Electrolyte Membrane Fuel Cells and Electrolyzers”

Polymer electrolyte fuel cells are currently playing a critical role in not only next generation energy conversion, but also electric mobility, as witnessed by the recent commercialization of fuel cell electric vehicles and fuel cell-based drones worldwide. During the last few decades, polymer electrolyte fuel cell technology has shown signficiant progress, however further technologies for improved performance, durability, reliability as well as cost reduction are urgently needed to achieve the widespread use of the technology. Recently, it has also contributed to the development of polymer electrolyte membrane electrolyzers, which face challenges with regard to enhancing their efficiency and durability for economical hydrogen production. 

The Special Issue “Polymer Electrolyte Membrane Fuel Cells and Electrolyzers” will highlight research at the forefront of these exciting fields, and in particular invites contributions addressing novel catalysts, membranes, diffusion layers, and bipolar plates; the design and optimization of catalyst layers, membrane electrode assemblies, single cells, stacks and systems; and practical applications and demonstrations. Contributions including experimental, modeling, and simulation studies are highly encouraged.

Prof. Dr. Hee-Tak Kim
Guest Editor

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Keywords

  • Polymer Electrolyte Membrane Fuel Cells
  • Polymer Electrolyte Membrane Electrolyzers
  • Fuel Cell Catalysts
  • Polymer Electrolyte Membranes
  • Membrane Electrode Assemblies
  • Design and Operation of Stacks and Systems

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Published Papers (6 papers)

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Research

11 pages, 4181 KiB  
Article
A Non-Intrusive Signal-Based Fault Diagnosis Method for Proton Exchange Membrane Water Electrolyzer Using Empirical Mode Decomposition
by Farid Aubras, Cedric Damour, Michel Benne, Sebastien Boulevard, Miloud Bessafi, Brigitte Grondin-Perez, Amangoua J.-J. Kadjo and Jonathan Deseure
Energies 2021, 14(15), 4458; https://doi.org/10.3390/en14154458 - 23 Jul 2021
Cited by 8 | Viewed by 2909
Abstract
This work focuses on a signal-based diagnosis approach dedicated to proton exchange membrane water electrolyzer (PEM WE) anode pump fault. The PEM WE cell measurements are performed with an experimental test bench to highlight the impact of water flow rate in the anode [...] Read more.
This work focuses on a signal-based diagnosis approach dedicated to proton exchange membrane water electrolyzer (PEM WE) anode pump fault. The PEM WE cell measurements are performed with an experimental test bench to highlight the impact of water flow rate in the anode compartment. This approach is non-intrusive, and it can detect anode flow rate variation during the electrolysis and is designed to fulfill online diagnosis requirements. Contrary to electrochemical impedance spectroscopy-based approaches (EIS), this method stands out from existing procedures as a result of its few requirements, excluding any signal with perturbing amplitude. Therefore, the electrolyzer remains continuously available, even while the analysis is performed. The empirical mode decomposition (EMD) is used to decompose the signal variation into a sum of amplitude modulation and frequency modulation (AM-FM) components, called intrinsic mode functions (IMFs). In this work, the PEM WE current signal is decomposed into several IMFs using EMD. Then, the energetic contribution of each IMF is calculated. Experimental results exhibited that the energetic contribution of IMFs can be used as relevant criteria for fault diagnosis in PEM WE systems. This process only requires monitoring of the PEM WE current and has a low computational cost, which is a significant economic and technical advantage. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Polymer Electrolyte Membrane Fuel Cells and Electrolyzers)
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10 pages, 7996 KiB  
Article
Preferential Protection of Low Coordinated Sites in Pt Nanoparticles for Enhancing Durability of Pt/C Catalyst
by Dong Wook Lee, Seongmin Yuk, Sungyu Choi, Dong-Hyun Lee, Gisu Doo, Jonghyun Hyun, Jiyun Kwen, Jun Young Kim and Hee-Tak Kim
Energies 2021, 14(5), 1419; https://doi.org/10.3390/en14051419 - 4 Mar 2021
Cited by 6 | Viewed by 3281
Abstract
Protecting low coordinated sites (LCS) of Pt nanoparticles, which are vulnerable to dissolution, may be an ideal solution for enhancing the durability of polymer electrolyte fuel cells (PEMFCs). However, the selective protection of LCSs without deactivating the other sites presents a key challenge. [...] Read more.
Protecting low coordinated sites (LCS) of Pt nanoparticles, which are vulnerable to dissolution, may be an ideal solution for enhancing the durability of polymer electrolyte fuel cells (PEMFCs). However, the selective protection of LCSs without deactivating the other sites presents a key challenge. Herein, we report the preferential protection of LCSs with a thiol derivative having a silane functional group, (3-mercaptopropyl) triethoxysilane (MPTES). MPTES preferentially adsorbs on the LCSs and is converted to a silica framework, providing robust masking of the LCSs. With the preferential protection, the initial oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) activity is marginally reduced by 8% in spite of the initial electrochemical surface area (ECSA) loss of 30%. The protected Pt/C catalyst shows an ECSA loss of 5.6% and an ORR half-wave potential loss of 5 mV after 30,000 voltage cycles between 0.6 and 1.0 V, corresponding to a 6.7- and 2.6-fold durability improvement compared to unprotected Pt/C, respectively. The preferential protection of the vulnerable LCSs provides a practical solution for PEMFC stability due to its simplicity and high efficacy. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Polymer Electrolyte Membrane Fuel Cells and Electrolyzers)
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11 pages, 2273 KiB  
Article
Development of Optimal Conditioning Method to Improve Economic Efficiency of Polymer Electrolyte Membrane (PEM) Fuel Cells
by Min Soo Kim, Joo Hee Song and Dong Kyu Kim
Energies 2020, 13(11), 2831; https://doi.org/10.3390/en13112831 - 2 Jun 2020
Cited by 19 | Viewed by 4316
Abstract
This study presents an economical conditioning method for polymer electrolyte membrane (PEM) fuel cells through a parametric study investigating the factors affecting online conditioning methods. First, we compared the operating conditions between constant current (CC) mode and constant voltage (CV) mode conditioning to [...] Read more.
This study presents an economical conditioning method for polymer electrolyte membrane (PEM) fuel cells through a parametric study investigating the factors affecting online conditioning methods. First, we compared the operating conditions between constant current (CC) mode and constant voltage (CV) mode conditioning to understand the effects of current and potential differences on conditioning. We found that CV mode conditioning is at least one hour faster at the same load. This is because unlike CV mode conditioning, which has a constant load over the entire range of the membrane electrode assembly (MEA), CC mode conditioning features current flow through the existing passage of the pre-activated triple phase boundary of the MEA so that the electronic load is not entirely used in the conditioning process. Second, the optimization of CV mode conditioning was conducted by controlling the conditioning temperature. Lastly, the economics of the proposed method were analyzed by comparing it with existing conditioning methods. Using this optimal conditioning method can reduce the consumption of hydrogen during conditioning by ~87.5% compared to previous methods. The findings from this study provide the means to lower the actual production cost of fuel cells, thereby ensuring market access. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Polymer Electrolyte Membrane Fuel Cells and Electrolyzers)
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14 pages, 3563 KiB  
Article
Phosphoric Acid-Doped Ion-Pair Coordinated PEMs with Broad Relative Humidity Tolerance
by Ding Tian, Taoli Gu, Sai Nitin Yellamilli and Chulsung Bae
Energies 2020, 13(8), 1924; https://doi.org/10.3390/en13081924 - 14 Apr 2020
Cited by 20 | Viewed by 3606
Abstract
Proton exchange membrane (PEM) capable of working over a broad operating condition window is critical for successful adoption of PEM-based electrochemical devices. In this work, phosphoric acid (PA)-doped biphenyl-backbone ion-pair coordinated PEMs were prepared by quaternization of BPBr-100, a precursor polymer, with three [...] Read more.
Proton exchange membrane (PEM) capable of working over a broad operating condition window is critical for successful adoption of PEM-based electrochemical devices. In this work, phosphoric acid (PA)-doped biphenyl-backbone ion-pair coordinated PEMs were prepared by quaternization of BPBr-100, a precursor polymer, with three different tertiary amines including trimethylamine, 1-methylpiperidine, and 1,2-dimethylimidazole followed by membrane casting, ion exchange reaction to hydroxide ion, and doping with PA. The resulting PA-doped ion-pair PEMs were characterized in terms of PA doping level, proton conductivity, relative humidity (RH) tolerance, thermal stability, and mechanical properties. PA doping levels were between six and eight according to acid-base titration. The size and structure of the cation group of ion-pair polymers were found to affect the PA doping level and water uptake. Proton conductivity was studied as a function of RH over a wide range of 5% to 95% RH. Stable conductivity at 80 °C was observed up to 70% RH for 10 h. Mechanical property characterization indicates that the PA doping process resulted in more ductile membranes with significantly increased elongation at break due to the plasticization effect of PA. A combination of high proton conductivity at low RH conditions, and good humidity tolerance makes this new class of PEMs great potential candidates for use in electrochemical devices such as proton exchange membrane fuel cells and electrochemical hydrogen compressors. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Polymer Electrolyte Membrane Fuel Cells and Electrolyzers)
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21 pages, 4346 KiB  
Article
Improving the Efficiency of PEM Electrolyzers through Membrane-Specific Pressure Optimization
by Fabian Scheepers, Markus Stähler, Andrea Stähler, Edward Rauls, Martin Müller, Marcelo Carmo and Werner Lehnert
Energies 2020, 13(3), 612; https://doi.org/10.3390/en13030612 - 1 Feb 2020
Cited by 88 | Viewed by 16971
Abstract
Hydrogen produced in a polymer electrolyte membrane (PEM) electrolyzer must be stored under high pressure. It is discussed whether the gas should be compressed in subsequent gas compressors or by the electrolyzer. While gas compressor stages can be reduced in the case of [...] Read more.
Hydrogen produced in a polymer electrolyte membrane (PEM) electrolyzer must be stored under high pressure. It is discussed whether the gas should be compressed in subsequent gas compressors or by the electrolyzer. While gas compressor stages can be reduced in the case of electrochemical compression, safety problems arise for thin membranes due to the undesired permeation of hydrogen across the membrane to the oxygen side, forming an explosive gas. In this study, a PEM system is modeled to evaluate the membrane-specific total system efficiency. The optimum efficiency is given depending on the external heat requirement, permeation, cell pressure, current density, and membrane thickness. It shows that the heat requirement and hydrogen permeation dominate the maximum efficiency below 1.6 V, while, above, the cell polarization is decisive. In addition, a pressure-optimized cell operation is introduced by which the optimum cathode pressure is set as a function of current density and membrane thickness. This approach indicates that thin membranes do not provide increased safety issues compared to thick membranes. However, operating an N212-based system instead of an N117-based one can generate twice the amount of hydrogen at the same system efficiency while only one compressor stage must be added. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Polymer Electrolyte Membrane Fuel Cells and Electrolyzers)
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11 pages, 2412 KiB  
Article
Preparation of Nanoporous PdIrZn Alloy Catalyst by Dissolving Excess ZnO for Cathode of High- Temperature Polymer Electrolyte Membrane Fuel Cells
by Dae Jong You, Do-Hyung Kim, Ji Man Kim and Chanho Pak
Energies 2019, 12(21), 4155; https://doi.org/10.3390/en12214155 - 31 Oct 2019
Cited by 12 | Viewed by 3242
Abstract
Carbon-supported nanoporous palladium-iridium–zinc (NP-PdIrZn) electrocatalyst was prepared through the modification of the alcohol-reduction process following the selective dissolution of excess ZnO nanoparticles using NaOH solution. The electrocatalyst was applied successfully to the cathode for a high-temperature polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cell (HT-PEMFC). X-ray [...] Read more.
Carbon-supported nanoporous palladium-iridium–zinc (NP-PdIrZn) electrocatalyst was prepared through the modification of the alcohol-reduction process following the selective dissolution of excess ZnO nanoparticles using NaOH solution. The electrocatalyst was applied successfully to the cathode for a high-temperature polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cell (HT-PEMFC). X-ray diffraction (XRD) patterns of the NP-PdIrZn nanoparticles suggests formation of the ternary alloy and complete removal of ZnO without the formation of individual Pd, Ir, or Zn nanoparticles. Moreover, transmission electron microscopy (TEM) images displayed porous nanoparticles with an irregular shape, which was generated by removing the ZnO from the PdIrZn–ZnO nanocomposites, and was prepared by using the excessive Zn precursor. The electrochemical surface area (ECSA) of the NP-PdIrZn catalysts was estimated by cyclic voltammetry using a rotating disk electrode method , and the oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) activity was evaluated by a linear sweep method. The NP-PdIrZn catalysts showed larger ECSA and higher ORR activity than those of the PdIr and PdIrZn catalysts, which may be attributed to the increased exposed surface area by selective etching of the ZnO in the composites. Furthermore, the NP-PdIrZn catalyst exhibited excellent performance (0.66 V) in a single cell under the HT-PEMFC condition than those of the PdIr (0.58 V) and PdIrZn (0.62 V) catalysts, indicating that geometric and electronic control of Pd-based alloy can improve the single-cell performance for the HT-PEMFC. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Polymer Electrolyte Membrane Fuel Cells and Electrolyzers)
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