Abstract
As a key challenge for hydroxide exchange membrane fuel cells (HEMFCs), understanding water management deeply is critical for performance and durability improvement. Here we show that the balance between water generation and phase-change-induced (PCI) flow is the main factor controlling cell voltage over a wide range of conditions where the cells are vulnerable to severe flooding. The regulation of flooding by heat generation can be reflected by a stable voltage with increase of current density in the polarization curve. This PCI balance voltage (Ebalance), which determines the shape of polarization curve, is modeled as a function of cell operating conditions and gas diffusion layer (GDL) properties. Temperature, pressure, and thermal conductivity of GDL were found important for tuning the level of Ebalance, both in HEMFCs and proton exchange membrane fuel cells. The understanding of Ebalance will help to generate strategies for resolving flooding in HEMFCs, and it offers a new perspective for polarization curve interpretation.
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