An Analytical Model of a Novel, Microfluidic PEM Fuel Cell Device

Abstract

The proton exchange membrane fuel cell has not met its potential as an alternative electrical energy source, due in part to the high cost of its platinum catalyst. Sputtered platinum films have been suggested as alternatives to conventional ionomer dispersion catalyst layers. Although sputtered platinum fuel cells exhibit high performance per mass of catalyst, they have lower power densities than conventional fuel cells. The emerging technology of Nafion etching presents opportunities to create innovative fuel cell architectures. A novel microfluidic fuel cell device is proposed that combines these technologies. An analytical model was developed to predict the performance of conventional, sputtered, and microfluidic fuel cells. Based on the simulations, the power density of the microfluidic device is on par with conventional fuel cells, while its mass-specific power is comparable to that of the sputtered platinum fuel cells, suggesting that the microfluidic device may increase performance while maintaining low catalyst loading.