Direct Visualization of Oxygen Distribution in Operating Fuel Cells

摘要

Fuel cells are devices that produce electric power by means of the chemical reaction of oxygen and fuels more efficiently than current technologies,and they are expected to become a cleaner source of energy.Despite considerable recent advances,especially in polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cells (PEMFCs),existing technology still has drawbacks,including kinetic limitations on the oxygen reduction reac-tion and the instability of Pt catalysts and polymer membranes nearby,in particular during startup-shutdown cycles.The chemical reactions are uneven throughout the reaction field and not well understood.