Friday, October 26, 2007 - 8:50 AM
5th Floor C (Greenville Hyatt Regency Hotel)
456

A Computational Investigation of Proton Transport through the Electrode/electrolyte Interface of Proton Exchange Membrane Fuel Cell Systems

David J. Keffer, Myvizhi Esai Selvan, Junwu Liu, Shengting Cui, Brian J. Edwards, and William V. Steele. University of Tennessee, Knoxville, TN

We report on a computational project investigating the transport of protons across the electrode/electrolyte interface of hydrogen PEM fuel cells. Our molecular simulations of the bulk hydrated membrane show a morphology of the aqueous nanophase within the system that loses connectivity at low humidity, leading to a drop in vehicular diffusion of protons. Structural analysis of the degree of hydration of protons indicates a drop in structural diffusion as well at low humidity. At the membrane/vapor interface, we observe a slightly dehydrated region that will negatively impact both the vehicular and structural components of the hydronium diffusivity. At the membrane/vapor/electrode support interface, we do not observe any wetting of the electrode support surface. At the membrane/vapor/catalyst interface, we observe significant wetting of the catalyst surface by a mixture of water and polyelectrolyte. Taken as a whole, this data suggests that the placement of catalyst particles and the degree of humidity is crucial to optimizing the proton transport across the electrode/electrolyte interface. We draw connections between our molecular-level understanding and implications for fuel cell nanostructured design. Finally, we report on a new, generalizable model for structural diffusion of protons in molecular dynamics simulations.


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