Issue 1, 2024

Electrochemical impedance spectroscopy of PEM fuel cells at low hydrogen partial pressures: efficient cell tests for mass production

Abstract

Quality testing costs hinder the large-scale production of PEM fuel cell systems due to long testing times and high safety measures for hydrogen. While eliminating both issues, electrochemical impedance spectroscopy at low hydrogen concentrations can provide valuable insights into fuel cell processes. However, the influence of high anode stream dilutions on PEM fuel cell performance is not yet completely understood. This study presents a new equivalent circuit model to analyze impedance spectra at low hydrogen partial pressures. The proposed model accurately describes the impedance response and explains the performance decrease at low hydrogen concentrations. First, the reduced availability of hydrogen at the anode leads to rising reaction losses from the hydrogen side. Further, the resulting losses lead to potential changes also influencing the cathode processes. The findings indicate that impedance spectroscopy at low hydrogen partial pressure might provide a reliable fuel cell quality control tool, simplifying production processes, reducing costs, and mitigating risks in fuel cell production.

Keywords: PEM fuel cells; Electrochemical impedance spectroscopy; EIS; Large scale PEMFC production; Anodes; Cathodes.

Graphical abstract: Electrochemical impedance spectroscopy of PEM fuel cells at low hydrogen partial pressures: efficient cell tests for mass production

Supplementary files

Article information

Article type
Paper
Submitted
10 Jul 2023
Accepted
25 Sep 2023
First published
04 Oct 2023
This article is Open Access
Creative Commons BY license

Ind. Chem. Mater., 2024,2, 132-140

Electrochemical impedance spectroscopy of PEM fuel cells at low hydrogen partial pressures: efficient cell tests for mass production

F. Haimerl, S. Kumar, M. Heere and A. S. Bandarenka, Ind. Chem. Mater., 2024, 2, 132 DOI: 10.1039/D3IM00075C

This article is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported Licence. You can use material from this article in other publications without requesting further permissions from the RSC, provided that the correct acknowledgement is given.

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