Grooved electrodes for high-power-density fuel cells

ChungHyuk Lee, Wilton J. M. Kort-Kamp, Haoran Yu, David A. Cullen, Brian M. Patterson, Tanvir Alam Arman, Siddharth Komini Babu, Rangachary Mukundan, Rod L. Borup and Jacob S. Spendelow ()
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ChungHyuk Lee: Los Alamos National Laboratory
Wilton J. M. Kort-Kamp: Los Alamos National Laboratory
Haoran Yu: Oak Ridge National Laboratory
David A. Cullen: Oak Ridge National Laboratory
Brian M. Patterson: Los Alamos National Laboratory
Tanvir Alam Arman: Los Alamos National Laboratory
Siddharth Komini Babu: Los Alamos National Laboratory
Rangachary Mukundan: Los Alamos National Laboratory
Rod L. Borup: Los Alamos National Laboratory
Jacob S. Spendelow: Los Alamos National Laboratory

Nature Energy, 2023, vol. 8, issue 7, 685-694

Abstract: Abstract Proton exchange membrane fuel cells (PEMFCs) are leading candidates to decarbonize the transport sector, but widespread deployment will require improvements in lifetime, fuel economy and cost. Here we present the grooved electrode, an alternative electrode structure that enhances PEMFC performance and durability by coupling high ionomer (ion-conducting binder) content for improved H+ transport with grooves for rapid O2 transport. Grooved electrodes provide up to 50% higher performance than state-of-the-art conventional electrodes under standard operating conditions. Fuel cell diagnostics combined with multiphysics modelling demonstrate that grooved electrodes provide facile O2 transport despite their high ionomer content, enabling improved reaction rate uniformity. Grooved electrodes also provide improved durability, with less performance loss after carbon corrosion compared with baseline electrodes. Machine learning analysis demonstrates the potential to further optimize grooved structures for next-generation PEMFCs with enhanced performance and durability, enabling smaller and cheaper fuel cell stacks with higher fuel efficiency.

Date: 2023
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DOI: 10.1038/s41560-023-01263-2

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