Micro-Raman study on water distribution inside a Nafion membrane during operation of polymer electrolyte fuel cell

In situ confocal micro-Raman spectroscopy was used to probe the water distribution in an electrolyte membrane in a polymer electrolyte fuel cell (PEFC) under various cell-operating conditions. The water content, λR (number of water molecules per sulfonic acid group), in a Nafion® membrane was calcul...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Electrochimica acta 2012-11, Vol.82, p.277-283
Main Authors: Hara, Masanori, Inukai, Junji, Bae, Byungchan, Hoshi, Takayuki, Miyatake, Kenji, Uchida, Makoto, Uchida, Hiroyuki, Watanabe, Masahiro
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Applied sciences
Chemistry
Current density
Drag
Electrochemistry
Electrolytes
Energy
Energy. Thermal use of fuels
Equipments for energy generation and conversion: thermal, electrical, mechanical energy, etc
Exact sciences and technology
Fuel cell vehicle
Fuel cells
General and physical chemistry
Humidification
Infrared radiation
MEA
Membranes
Micro-Raman spectroscopy
Nafion
Water distribution
Water engineering
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Summary:In situ confocal micro-Raman spectroscopy was used to probe the water distribution in an electrolyte membrane in a polymer electrolyte fuel cell (PEFC) under various cell-operating conditions. The water content, λR (number of water molecules per sulfonic acid group), in a Nafion® membrane was calculated from the intensity of the OH stretching (ν(OH)) band. By analyzing the Raman spectra as a function of the membrane depth in an operating PEFC, the λR distributions in the membrane were obtained under different temperature, humidification, current density and gas-flow rate conditions. The ν(OH) intensity in the electrolyte membrane increased with increasing current density, relative humidity, and gas utilization. The water distribution in the electrolyte membrane can be understood as a balance among back-diffusing water produced from the cathode, electro-osmotic drag, and water removal via the gas diffusion layer (GDL), all of which is information that will be important for the realization of cell operation without humidification in future advanced fuel cell vehicles.
ISSN:0013-4686
1873-3859
DOI:10.1016/j.electacta.2012.04.099