Development of experimental methods for studying gas diffusion layer effects in direct methanol fuel cells.

摘要

The possibility of using methanol liquid fuel directly in the fuel cell makes Direct Methanol Fuel Cells (DMFCs) a very promising electrochemical power source, especially for the transportation industry. DMFCs, however, consistently have demonstrated inferior performance compared to Hydrogen Air Fuel Cells (HAFCs) as they have been marred by a number of technical challenges such as slow anode kinetics and methanol crossover. Although extensive research efforts have progressed towards solving these challenges not a significant amount of work has been dedicated towards the effects of the Gas Diffusion Layer (GDL) on cell performance. The GDL is an integral component of the membrane electrode assembly (MEA). Its primary functions are to distribute the reactant gases and liquids over the MEA, remove liquid water from the cathode and act as an electrical conductor.; Throughout this work, several experimental methods for physical and performance characterization of commercially available GDLs are investigated with the aim of correlating physical properties with cell performance. (Abstract shortened by UMI.)