Two fuel cell architectures, differing only by the surfaces onto which the electrodes were applied, have been analyzed to determine the root causes of dissimilarities in performance. The basic proton exchange membrane fuel cell is comprised of the proton transporting membrane, platinum-containing anode and cathode electrodes, porous carbon fiber gas diffusion media (GDM), and flow fields that deliver the reactant hydrogen and air flows. As no optimal cell design currently exists, there is a degree of latitude regarding component assembly and structure. Catalyst coated diffusion media (CCDM) refers to a cell architecture option where the electrode layers are coated on the GDM layers and then hot pressed to the membrane. Catalyst coated membrane (CCM) refers to an architecture where the electrodes are transferred directly onto the membrane. A cell with CCDM architecture has tightly bonded interfaces throughout the assembly, which can result in lower thermal and electrical contact resistances. Considering the fuel cell as a 1D thermal system, the through-plane thermal resistance was observed to decrease by 5–10% when comparing CCDM to CCM architectures. This suggests that the thermal contact resistance at the electrode interfaces was significantly reduced in the hot-press process. In addition, the electrical contact resistances between the electrode and GDM were observed to be significantly reduced with a CCDM architecture. This study shows that these effects, which have a potential to increase performance, can be attributed to the hot-press lamination process and use of CCDM architecture.
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August 2011
This article was originally published in
Journal of Fuel Cell Science and Technology
Research Papers
The Property and Performance Differences Between Catalyst Coated Membrane and Catalyst Coated Diffusion Media
Derek W. Fultz,
e-mail: derek.fultz@gm.com
Derek W. Fultz
General Motors Electrochemical Energy Research Laboratory
, 10 Carriage Street, Honeoye Falls, NY 14472-1038
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Po-Ya Abel Chuang
Po-Ya Abel Chuang
General Motors Electrochemical Energy Research Laboratory
, 10 Carriage Street, Honeoye Falls, NY 14472-1038
Search for other works by this author on:
Derek W. Fultz
General Motors Electrochemical Energy Research Laboratory
, 10 Carriage Street, Honeoye Falls, NY 14472-1038e-mail: derek.fultz@gm.com
Po-Ya Abel Chuang
General Motors Electrochemical Energy Research Laboratory
, 10 Carriage Street, Honeoye Falls, NY 14472-1038J. Fuel Cell Sci. Technol. Aug 2011, 8(4): 041010 (6 pages)
Published Online: March 31, 2011
Article history
Received:
April 7, 2010
Revised:
November 23, 2010
Online:
March 31, 2011
Published:
March 31, 2011
Citation
Fultz, D. W., and Chuang, P. A. (March 31, 2011). "The Property and Performance Differences Between Catalyst Coated Membrane and Catalyst Coated Diffusion Media." ASME. J. Fuel Cell Sci. Technol. August 2011; 8(4): 041010. https://doi.org/10.1115/1.4003632
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