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The mechanical compression of metal foam flow-field based polymer electrolyte fuel cells (PEFCs) is critical in determining the interfacial contact resistance with gas diffusion layers (GDLs), reactant flow and water management.
The distinct scale between the pore structure of metal foams and the entire flow-field warrant a multilength scale characterization that combines ex-situ tests of compressed metal foam samples and in-operando analysis of operating PEFCs using X-ray computed tomography (CT) and neutron radiography. An optimal ‘medium’ compression was found to deliver a peak power density of 853 mW/cm². The X-ray CT data indicates that the compression process significantly decreases the mean pore size and narrows the pore size distribution of metal foams. Simulation results suggest compressing metal foam increases the pressure drop and gas velocity, improving the convective liquid water removal. This is in agreement with the neutron imaging results that demonstrates an increase in the mass of accumulated liquid water with minimum compression compared to the medium and maximum compression cases. The results show that a balance between Ohmic resistance, water removal capacity and parasitic power is imperative for the optimal performance of metal foam based PEFCs.
Water transport in an operating PEM fuel cell was investigated with synchrotron X-ray radiography with a spatial resolution of 3 µm and a temporal resolution of 5 s. This method allows for the detection of water accumulations with less than 10 µm diameter. We demonstrate that synchrotron X-ray imaging can dramatically expand the possibilities of imaging with high spatial and time resolution, especially as a complement to neutron radiography. Water transport processes from the first appearance of small water accumulations in the gas diffusion layer to their transport into the channel system were analysed in situ. Correlations between local effects such as water formation and operating conditions of the whole system, e.g. power variations, were found. A recently described eruptive water transport mechanism is analysed in detail.
We present transmission electron microscope (TEM) tomography investigations of ruthenium-based fuel cell catalyst materials as employed in direct methanol fuel cells (DMFC). The digital three-dimensional representation of the samples not only enables detailed studies on number, size, and shape but also on the local orientation of the ruthenium particles to their support and their freely accessible surface area. The shape analysis shows the ruthenium particles deviate significantly from spherical symmetry which increases their surface to volume ratio. The morphological studies help to understand the structure formation mechanisms during the fabrication as well as the high effectiveness of these catalysts in the oxygen reduction reaction at the cathode side of fuel cells.