High Resolution MRI Investigation of Transversal Water Content Distributions in PEM under Fuel Cell Operation

摘要

Investigation of water management in polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cells (PEMFCs) is a fundamental and important issue for their implementation. Consequently, it is necessary to investigate water content distribution in PEMs under typical fuel cell operating conditions. Our research group has therefore investigated transversal water content distribution in PEMs under fuel cell operating conditions using a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) system. However, the spatial resolution limitations impeded our prior studies to elucidate the distribution of water contents in a thin membrane. We investigated water content distribution in a thin membrane using a high spatial resolution magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) system to overcome spatial resolution limitations in a thin membrane in this study. Transversal water content distribution in PEM (e.g. Nafion 115) was investigated at room temperature and ambient pressure using a high spatial resolution (e.g. < 10 μm) MR imaging system.