Flow-through Anode Research Articles

Efficient removal of ammonia from aqueous solution using coal-based carbon membrane via electrochemical oxidation in the present of chloride ion

To tackle the escalating issue of ammonia nitrogen water pollution, developing efficient removal technologies holds paramount significance. In this work, an electrochemical membrane reactor (EMR) was constructed for the decontamination of ammonia nitrogen wastewater using the coal-based carbon membrane (CCM) as the flow-through anode. The removal efficiency and degradation mechanism of ammonia nitrogen by EMR during the treatment were investigated. It was found that, under applied voltage and in the presence of chloride ions, the CCM exhibited excellent chlorine evolution performance, and as a result, the EMR had excellent ammonia nitrogen removal efficiency. The removal of ammonia nitrogen by the flow-through EMR was following the pseudo-first-order kinetics. Analysis revealed that various operating parameters, including applied voltage, chloride ion concentration, flow rate, pH value, and initial ammonia concentration, all significantly influenced the ammonia nitrogen treatment performance of EMR. At optimal operation conditions (feed concentration of 30 mg/L, applied voltage of 2.8 V, NaCl concentration of 0.1 mol/L and flow rate of 2 ml/min), the EMR achieved a removal rate of 100 % for ammonia nitrogen with a low energy consumption (EC) of 0.0380 kW•h/g-NH4-N. The degradation mechanism analysis revealed that the primary means of ammonia removal relied on indirect oxidation mediated by OCl·, which was generated by the oxidation of Cl- on the surface of CCM within the solution under the influence of the electric field. Furthermore, the EMR demonstrated good applicability across various water matrices. In conclusion, the EMR holds considerable potential for the decontamination of ammonia nitrogen-containing wastewater.

Energy-efficient treatment of refractory industrial effluent using flow-through electrochemical processes: Oxidation mechanisms and reduction of chlorinated byproducts

While flow-through anodic oxidation (FTAO) technique has demonstrated high efficiency to treat various refractory waste streams, there is an increasing concern on the secondary hazard generation thereby. In this study, we developed an integrated system that couples FTAO and cathodic reduction processes (termed FTAO-CR) for sustainable treatment of chlorine-laden industrial wastewater. Among four common electrode materials (i.e., Ti4O7, β-PbO2, RuO2, and SnO2-Sb), RuO2 flow-through anode exhibited the best pollutant removal performance and relatively low ClO3 and ClO4 yields. Because of the significant scavenging effect of Cl− in real wastewater treatment, the direct electron transfer process played a dominant role in contaminant degradation for both active and nonactive anodes though active species (i.e., active chlorine) were involved in the subsequent transformation of the organic matter. A continuous FTAO-CR system was then constructed for simultaneous COD removal and organic and inorganic chlorinated byproduct control. The quality of the treated effluent could meet the national discharge permit limit at low energy cost (∼4.52 kWh m3 or ∼0.035 kWh g1-COD). Results from our study pave the way for developing novel electrochemical platforms for the purification of refractory waste streams whilst minimizing the secondary pollution.

Shifting Emphasis from Electro- to Catalytically Active Sites: Effects of Pore Size of Flow-Through Anodes on Water Purification.

A flow-through anode has demonstrated high efficiency for micropollutant abatement in water purification. In addition to developing novel electrode materials, a rational design of its porous structure is crucial to achieve high electrooxidation kinetics while sustaining a low cost for flow-through operation. However, our knowledge of the relationship between the pore structure and its performance is still incomplete. Therefore, we systematically explore the effect of pore size (with a median from 4.7 to 49.4 μm) on the flow-through anode efficiency. Results showed that when the pore size was <26.7 μm, the electrooxidation kinetics was insignificantly improved, but the permeability declined dramatically. Traditional empirical evidence from hydrodynamic modeling and electrochemical tests indicated that a flow-through anode with a smaller pore size (e.g., 4.7 μm) had a high mass transfer capability and large electroactive area. However, this did not further accelerate the micropollutant removal. Combining an overpotential distribution model and an imprinting method has revealed that the reactivity of a flow-through anode is related to the catalytically active volume/sites. The rapid overpotential decay as a function of depth in the anode would offset the merits arising from a small pore size. Herein, we demonstrate an optimal pore size distribution (∼20 μm) of typical flow-through anodes to maximize the process performance at a low energy cost, providing insights into the design of advanced flow-through anodes in water purification applications.

Model Unraveling the Ultra-Efficient Multi-Stage Flow-Through Anodes for Water Purification Application: Development of Design and Evaluation

Improving energy utilization efficiency is crucial to broadening the prospects in the field of electrochemical wastewater treatment. The electrochemical flow-through (FT) mode shows the potential prospect of high oxidation efficiency and low energy cost. In this study, based on the SnO2-Sb2O3 macroporous anode, we designed a multi-stage flow-through (MSFT) anode that significantly enhanced the organic removal performance than that of a conventional FT system. Accordingly, we first proposed the current reaction kinetics model that could appropriately describe the removal performance in the MSFT electrochemical oxidation process. The mass transfer impact of MSFT was also suitably evaluated by our model, which indicated that the MSFT could rapidly achieve the same diffusion flux for electrochemical oxidation limitations. The energy consumption per order of magnitude removal (EE/O) was below 0.12 kWh m–3 for low-concentration organics, which sharply decreased with an increase in the flow. For the simulation of low conductivity of water quality (∼439 μS cm–1), we found that the MSFT could obtain the voltage reduction of approximately 25% for saving energy without the extra electrolyte. Finally, we summarized the nominalized electron utilization performance of organic destruction on various electrochemical advanced oxidation anodes. The normalized removal rate of contaminants per current was greatly improved by the MSFT mode and our highly efficient anode. Notably, the MS design can prolong the anode usage lifetime. We anticipate that our work will provide design development for other anodic interfaces in the field of electrochemical wastewater purification applications.

A Petal-like Structured NiCuOOH-NF Electrode by a Sonochemical Combined with the Electrochemical Method for Ammonia Oxidation Reaction

Direct electrochemical oxidation, as an economical and efficient method, has recently received increasing attention for ammonia-nitrogen wastewater treatment. Developing a low-cost, efficient catalytic electrode is the key to solve the problem of sluggish ammonia oxidation reaction (AOR) kinetics. In this study, a three-dimensional (3D) Ni foam electrode coated with NiCuOOH petal-like cluster structures was prepared using a simple sonochemical method combined with a surface electrochemical reconstruction strategy. This structure has a large surface area and abundant NiCuOOH active sites, giving a good premise for extraordinary electrocatalytic activity of AOR. The results show that the maximum current density for AOR reaches 97.8 mA cm−2 at 0.60 V vs. saturated calomel electrode (SCE). Additionally, 96.53% of NH4+-N removal efficiency and 63.12% of TN removal efficiency were acquired in the electrolysis system based on the NiCuOOH-NF electrode, as well as a good stability for at least 24 h. It is a promising flow-through anode for the clean treatment of ammonia-nitrogen wastewater.

Electrocatalytic biofilm reactor for effective and energy-efficient azo dye degradation: the synergistic effect of MnOx/Ti flow-through anode and biofilm on the cathode

Electrocatalytic biofilm reactor for effective and energy-efficient azo dye degradation: the synergistic effect of MnOx/Ti flow-through anode and biofilm on the cathode

Efficient electrochemical oxidation of sulfamethoxazole by a novel reduced TiO2 nanotube arrays-based flow-through electrocatalytic membrane

The reduced TiO2 nanotube arrays (RTNA) electrode is a cost-effective anode, but its limited electrocatalytic activity is an obstacle for the application. To solve this problem, a reduced TiO2 nanotube arrays-based titanium membrane (RTNA/TM) was fabricated by a facile electrochemical method to promote the electrocatalytic performance. The one-dimensional nanostructure and reduction treatment increased the electrocatalytic capacity and reduced the energy consumption, resulting in the sulfamethoxazole (SMX) removal rate of 86.1% and electrical efficiency per order of 0.55 kWh/m3 for RTNA/TM. Compared with the batch mode, the SMX removal efficiency of the flow-through mode was significantly increased by 71%, verifying the superiority of a porous flow-through anode. The SMX degradation performances of RTNA/TM were strongly affected by the fluid velocity, current density and initial SMX concentration, except for pH. Both hydroxyl radicals and direct electron transfer were responsible for the SMX removal, while the contribution of sulfate radicals could be ignored. Furthermore, RTNA/TM displayed stable performances for five experimental cycles and showed remarkable degradation efficiencies of SMX spiked into the natural water (76.5%) and wastewater effluent (75.4%). Therefore, RTNA/TM has been proven to be a promising flow-through anode for electrochemical oxidation.

A flexible on-fiber H2O2 microfluidic fuel cell with high power density

To promote the simplification and integration of membraneless microfluidic fuel cell (MMFC) system and combine with flexible portable devices, a flexible on-fiber MMFC exploiting H2O2 as sole reactant is presented, eliminating the separation requirement of fuel and oxidant. Nickel (Ni) nano-particles and Prussian blue with multiwalled carbon nanotube (PB-MWCNT) are coated on hydrophilic braided carbon fibers (BCFs) to serve as the anode and cathode, respectively. The three-dimensional (3D) flow-through anode and cathode with a wealth of exposed electroactive sites improve reactant mass transfer. The anode and cathode are respectively wound on both sides of the middle cotton thread-based flow channel for separation. Under the combination of capillary force and gravity, reactants flow continuously through the fiber-based microchannels without external pumps. Importantly, the H2O2 MMFC achieves the highest maximum power density (MPD) of 14.41 mW cm−2 so far in one-chamber or single-stream H2O2 fuel cells. Besides, no serious deterioration in the power-generation performance is observed in complex practical operating conditions including bending with various angles, repeated folding and dropping. Three presented flexible MMFCs are connected to power a handheld calculator, indicating the tremendous potential of developing micro power supplies based on abundant flexible materials as well as green and sustainable energy.

Electrochemical oxidation of reverse osmosis concentrates using macroporous Ti-ENTA/SnO2-Sb flow-through anode: Degradation performance, energy efficiency and toxicity assessment

Due to poor mass transfer performance and high energy consumption of the traditional electrochemical flow-by mode, this study developed a high-efficiency electrochemical oxidation system in flow-through mode based on three-dimensional macroporous enhanced TiO2 nanotube array/SnO2-Sb (MP-Ti-ENTA/SnO2-Sb) anode. The effects of initial pH, current density and flow rate on the COD degradation of reverse osmosis concentrates (ROCs) from reclaimed wastewater plant were investigated. Besides, the energy efficiency, biodegradability and acute biotoxicity were studied during electrochemical flow-through process. Compared with the flow-by mode, the flow-through mode based on the MP-Ti-ENTA/SnO2-Sb anode had a COD removal rate of 0.38 mg min−1 (current density: 5 mA cm-2) and an electrical efficiency per order (EE/O) of 5.3 kW h m-3. The three-dimensional fluorescence spectrum showed that the fulvic acids, humic acids and soluble microbial metabolites of ROCs could be effectively removed by the flow-through anode. In addition, the luminescence inhibition rate of the effluent was 22.4 %, indicating that the acute biotoxicity was reduced by more than 40 %. The electrochemical flow-through process of ROCs treatment required relatively low energy consumption without extra chemical agent addition, showing a broader application prospect.

Two-dimensional simulation of cold start processes for proton exchange membrane fuel cell with different hydrogen flow arrangements

Proton exchange membrane (PEM) fuel cells with an off-gas recirculation anode (ORA) or dead-ended anode (DEA) are widely adopted in engineering. However, those two hydrogen flow arrangements may cause anodic water and nitrogen accumulation in comparison with the flow-through anode (FTA) mode, which causes significant performance degradation. In this paper, a two-dimensional cold-start model is developed with detailed consideration of water phase changes and the nitrogen crossover phenomenon. A simplified electrochemical module is built to calculate the current density distribution in the model. The simulation results are consistent with the experimental data at both subzero temperatures and normal operating temperatures. The effects of hydrogen flow arrangements, flow configurations, and startup strategies are investigated during startup process from subzero to normal operating temperatures. Much less ice is generated in counter-flow cases than in co-flow cases during constant current operation. A relatively lower startup voltage can effectively shorten the cold-start process and enhance the cold-start capacity for the PEM fuel cell. The ORA mode has the best hydrogen flow arrangement due to its general abilities, including higher hydrogen utilization efficiency, higher anodic nitrogen tolerance, better output performance and better startup capability.

Development of a highly efficient electrochemical flow-through anode based on inner in-site enhanced TiO2-nanotubes array

This paper reports on the development of macroporous flow-through anodes. The anodes comprised an enhanced TiO2 nanotube array (ENTA) that was grown on three macroporous titanium substrates (MP-Ti) with nominal pore sizes of 10, 20, and 50 µm. The ENTA was then covered with SnO2-Sb2O3. We refer to this anode as the MP-Ti-ENTA/SnO2-Sb2O3 anode. The morphology, pore structure, and electrochemical properties of the anode were characterized. Compared with the traditional NTA layer, we found that the MP-Ti-ENTA/SnO2-Sb2O3 anode has a service lifetime that was 1.56 times larger than that of MP-Ti-NTA/SnO2-Sb2O3. We used 2-methyl-4-isothiazolin-3-one (MIT), a common biocide, as the target pollutant. We evaluated the impact of the operating parameters on energy efficiency and the oxidation rate of MIT. Furthermore, the apparent rate constants were 0.38, 1.63, and 1.24 min−1 for the 10, 20, and 50 μm nominal pore sizes of the MP-Ti substrates, respectively, demonstrating the different coating–loading mechanisms for the porous substrate. We found that hydroxyl radicals were the dominant species in the MIT oxidation in the HO radical scavenging experiments. The radical and nonradical oxidation contributions to the MIT degradation for different current densities were quantitatively determined as 72.1%–74.8% and 25.2%–27.9%, respectively. Finally, we summarized the oxidation performance for MIT destruction for (1) the published literature on various advanced oxidation technologies, (2) the published literature on various anodes, and (3) our flow-by and -through anodes. Accordingly, we found that our flow-through anode has a much lower electrical efficiency per order value (0.58 kWh m−3) than the flow-by anodes (6.85 kWh m−3).

Cyclic voltammetry electrodeposition of well-dispersed Pd nanoparticles on carbon paper as a flow-through anode for microfluidic direct formate fuel cells.

The preparation of low-loading and high-performance Pd-based electrodes is required for direct formate fuel cells. In this study, cyclic voltammetry electrodeposition is used to electrodeposit Pd nanoparticles on carbon paper (Pd/CP) and achieve excellent activity and promising stability toward the formate oxidation reaction (FOR). The prepared electrode shows a thin layer of hemispherical and well-dispersed Pd nanoparticles on the fibers of the carbon paper. The open structure and uniform catalyst distribution make the Pd/CP electrode show 2.56-fold higher active area and stability in the FOR as compared with those of commercial Pd/C catalysts. An air-breathing microfluidic direct formate fuel cell (μDFFC) with a Pd/CP electrode used as a flow-through anode is constructed to further assess electrode performance. The Pd/CP electrode with low Pd loading, 0.105 mg cm-2, delivers a peak power density and limiting current density of 46.6 mW cm-2 (443.8 mW mg-1Pd) and 288.4 mA cm-2, respectively. The performance of the μDFFC is superior to those of most others reported in the literature, further boosting the commercialization of this direct formate fuel cell to power next-generation portable electronics.

A Quasi-2D Transient Multiphase Modeling of Cold Start Processes in Proton Exchange Membrane Fuel Cell

&lt;div class="section abstract"&gt;&lt;div class="htmlview paragraph"&gt;It’s well known that startup process of proton exchange membrane fuel cells (PEMFCs) under subzero temperature is extremely significant because of its influence on fuel cell performance and durability. In the study, a quasi-2D numerical model is developed and dynamic equations of mass conservation, energy conservation, membrane water conservation, ice conservation, species conservation are all considered. Three different hydrogen supply modes are studied in detail: flow-through anode (FTA) mode, dead-ended anode (DEA) mode and off-gas recirculation (OR) mode. It is found that the local current density (LCD) and temperature distribution vary remarkably along flow channel in OR mode as t &amp;gt; 500s due to nitrogen crossover and accumulation. During the cold start operation, the DEA mode and OR mode hold more water in anode catalyst layer (ACL) which reduces the effects of hydraulic permeation, resulting in more ice formation in cathode catalyst layer (CCL) and slower temperature rising. In term of hydrogen utilization ratio, the efficiencies in DEA mode and OR mode are close and much better than that in FTA mode. Compared with DEA mode and FTA mode, characteristics of OR mode can be summarized as the highest operating efficiency, almost the best output performance and the second shortest startup time.&lt;/div&gt;&lt;/div&gt;

Boosting power density of microfluidic biofuel cell with porous three-dimensional graphene@nickel foam as flow-through anode

Microfluidic microbial fuel cells (μMFC) combine the microfluidic technology and bio-catalysts anchored at the electrode, representing an emerging bio-power generator. However, a major challenge towards further development is their low bio-catalysts loading on the electrodes. Previous researches have revealed the bio-electrode structure and nutrient-feeding type play a significant role in the power generation of μMFC. In this study, we fabricate a membrane-free μMFC with a piece of graphene-decorated nickel mesh as bio-anode, which is fed in a flow-through manner. The scanning electron microscopy and pore-distribution variation analysis show the mixed bacteria grow densely on the surface of the electrode. Benefited from the enriched bacterial colonization and sufficient nutrient supply, the μMFC produces a remarkably high areal power density of 1.11 W m−2 at a current density of 2.15 A m−2. These values are substantially higher than those of conventional two-dimensional electrodes and flow-over architectures measured under the same condition.

An air-breathing microfluidic fuel cell with a carbon felt flow-through anode

Rapid development of portable electronic devices promotes the demand for high performance and durability of micro power sources. As a new kind of portable power sources, microfluidic fuel cells (MFFC) utilize the parallel laminar flow to separate the fuel and the oxidant naturally without a proton exchange membrane (PEM) in traditional PEM fuel cells. As a result, a series of problems related to the PEM such as high cost, complicated water management and degradation of membrane can be eliminated. Therefore, microfluidic fuel cells have been paid more and more attention recently and are gradually becoming one of the promising micro portable power sources. Previous studies on microfluidic fuel cells showed that due to a relatively high oxygen concentration and diffusivity of oxygen in the air, using an air-breathing cathode could alleviate the oxygen transfer limitation in traditional microfluidic fuel cells which used dissolved oxygen as oxidant. As a result, the performance could be improved by the air-breathing cathode. However, the mass transfer at the anode still limits the cell performance. To further enhance the microfluidic fuel cell performance, a porous flow-through anode could be used to achieve the convective transport of the fuel to the electrode, resulting in reduction of the concentration boundary layer thickness at the planar electrode surface. However, in most studies of microfluidic fuel cells with porous flow-through electrodes, the two-dimensional porous carbon paper was used at the anode. As a common electrode material, the three-dimensional porous carbon felt with large porosity and specific surface area is expected to further improve the microfluidic fuel cell performance. In this study, an air-breathing microfluidic fuel cell with a carbon felt flow-through anode was fabricated and compared with the microfluidic fuel cell with a carbon paper anode. The micro morphology of electrode surface was characterized by a scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The electrochemical and cell performances were tested in acidic and alkaline conditions. The mass transport and performance characteristics of the microfluidic fuel cell with the carbon felt flow-through anode were further studied in alkaline condition. The experimental results showed that catalysts were better-distributed on the carbon felt electrode surface than that on the carbon paper electrode surface. The electrochemical performance of carbon felt electrode was superior to carbon paper electrode both in acidic and alkaline conditions because of its inherent three-dimensional porous structure. In acidic condition, the optimal power density and maximum current density of the microfluidic fuel cell with carbon felt anode were 1.8 and 2.8 times than that of the microfluidic fuel cell with carbon paper anode density, respectively. In alkaline condition, the optimal power density and the maximum current density of microfluidic fuel cell with carbon felt anode were 35.1 mW/cm2 and 192.9 mA/cm2, which were 5.2 and 7 times than that of the microfluidic fuel cell with carbon paper anode. Moreover, the cell performance under alkaline condition increased with an increase in the fuel and electrolyte flow rate and then remained almost the same, while it increased at first and then decreased as the fuel concentration, electrolyte and supporting electrolyte concentration increased.

Enhancing the response of microbial fuel cell based toxicity sensors to Cu(II) with the applying of flow-through electrodes and controlled anode potentials

The application of microbial fuel cell (MFC)-based toxicity sensors to real-world water monitoring is partly impeded by the limited sensitivity. To address this limitation, this study optimized the flow configurations and the control modes. Results revealed that the sensitivity increased by ∼15–41times with the applying of a flow-through anode, compared to those with a flow-by anode. The sensors operated in the controlled anode potential (CP) mode delivered better sensitivity than those operated in the constant external resistance (ER) mode over a broad range of anode potentials from −0.41V to +0.1V. Electrodeposition of Cu(II) was found to bias the toxicity measurement at low anode potentials. The optimal anode potential was approximately −0.15V, at which the sensor achieved an unbiased measurement of toxicity and the highest sensitivity. This value was greater than those required for electrodeposition while smaller than those for power overshoot.

Novel integrated carbon particle based three dimensional anodes for the electrochemical degradation of reactive dyes

Granular activated carbon (GAC) particles can be shaped into an integrated 3D-anode using PVDF binder and electro oxidation of reactive dyes in a three-dimensional flow-through carbon anode reactor (TDFCR) delivers a clean effluent free from carbon dust.

Novel Dead-Ended Anode Design for Self-Regulating Humidification in an Air-Breathing H2-PEM Fuel Cell

Water management is a major engineering challenge for proton exchange membrane fuel cells (PEMFCs). Mass transport of hydrogen and/or oxygen is often hindered in flooded electrodes leading to a fuel cell current decrease and irreversible damages. Although optimal PEMFC operation is usually achieved with fully humidified flow-through anode and cathode streams, commercial and portable applications require simpler systems where the size, weight and complexity of the auxiliary systems are minimized. Therefore, dead-ended anode (DEA) operation is usually implemented for compact units. Feeding dry hydrogen with regulated pressure at the anode inlet presumably presents the advantage of requiring no excess hydrogen to be exhausted. In this way, only the stoichiometric amount would be consumed in the fuel cell. However, DEA operation mode usually results in a deterioration of cell performance if the accumulated gas-vapor mixture is not purged to remove liquid water and nitrogen from the anode flow field. Furthermore, this strategy may frustrate the main purpose of the dead-ended anode mode to increase hydrogen utilization while introducing parasitic loads to power the purge system.A novel design of a PEMFC anode chamber has been implemented in an air-breathing fuel cell allowing for stable long-term operation under stoichiometric H2 consumption with 100% fuel utilization. The anode chamber consists of a perforated current collector and gas distribution plate in contact with the membrane-electrode assembly. The opposite face of this plate is covered by a gas-tight polymer film selectively permeable to water. This film is fixed to the external face of the anode gas distributor by a tailor-made methacrylate plate and allows for water exchange between the anode internal chamber and the external environment. This gas-tight water permeable film provides a suitable way for excess water removal from the anode. The present study analyzes in detail the operation of this novel design. Impedance spectroscopy and polarization hysteresis curves have been used to explore the cell behavior under several environmental conditions of temperature and relative humidity controlled inside of a climate chamber (Fig. 1). These results are evaluated in comparison with those obtained for a similar cell assembled with a conventional anode operating under continuous flow and dead-ended anode under periodical purge. The stable long-term operation of the 2 W-cell with this novel design ensures 100% efficiency in fuel utilization.AcknowledgementsThe authors gratefully acknowledge financial support from the Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness under project ELECTROFILM (MAT2011-271 51) and Comunidad de Madrid under DIVERCEL program (S2009/ENE-1475).Fig. 1. Photograph of the experimental set-up showing the air-breathing fuel cell in the climatic chamber where measurements have been performed. Inset photograph: detail of the anode configuration in the novel H2-PEM fuel cell design.

Computational modeling of air-breathing microfluidic fuel cells with flow-over and flow-through anodes

A three-dimensional computational model for air-breathing microfluidic fuel cells (AMFCs) with flow-over and flow-through anodes is developed. The coupled multiphysics phenomena of fluid flow, species transport and electrochemical reactions are resolved numerically. The model has been validated against experimental data using an in-house AMFC prototype with a flow-through anode. Characteristics of fuel transfer and fuel crossover for both types of anodes are investigated. The model results reveal that the fuel transport to the flow-over anode is intrinsically limited by the fuel concentration boundary layer. Conversely, fuel transport for the flow-through anode is convectively enhanced by the permeate flow, and no concentration boundary layer is observed. An unexpected additional advantage of the flow-through anode configuration is lower parasitic (crossover) current density than the flow-over case at practical low flow rates. Cell performance of the flow-through case is found to be limited by reaction kinetics. The present model provides insights into the fuel transport and fuel crossover in air-breathing microfluidic fuel cells and provides guidance for further design and operation optimization.

Design and Modeling of High Temperature Water Free Proton Exchange Membranes in DEA PEMFC Operations

Polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cell (PEMFC) is a greatalternative in transportation however there are still some issues onthe application of PEMFC, such as complexity in balance-of-plantdesign and cost of the system. Dead ended anode (sealed offanode) design might be a solution to reduce the complexity ofPEMFC. DEA operation eliminates the expensive hardware, suchas mass flow controllers, hydrogen recovery system andhumidifiers of PEMFC system. Moreover, the DEA operation ofNafion® is experiencing the disadvantages of low operationtemperature (40-80 °C) as the corrosion of the expensiveelectrodes by accumulated water. Beyond it is low operationtemperatures; Nafion® is also expensive and increases the cost ofthe PEMFC. Hence, in this study, the water free, high temperatureand cost competitive radiation induced grafted membranes weresynthesized and tested in both flow through anode (FTA) and deadended anode (DEA) operation in PEMFC.