Fuel Cell Modelling Focusing on Water Transport Behavior

2018 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 17K14857
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Young Scientists (B)
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Research Field: Reaction engineering/Process system
• Research Institution: Tokyo Institute of Technology
• Principal Investigator: Oshiba Yuhei 東京工業大学, 科学技術創成研究院, 助教 (10708530)
• Project Period (FY): 2017-04-01 – 2019-03-31
• Keywords: 燃料電池 / 電解質膜 / 水挙動 / 薄膜化 / 細孔フィリング

Outline of Final Research Achievements

For achieving efficient high temperature and low relative humidity (RH) operation in polymer electrolyte fuel cells, a thin pore-filling membrane comprising of low equivalent weight perfluorosulfonic acid polymer and a mechanically strong thin ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene porous substrate is prepared. The membrane electrode assembly prepared using this thin pore-filling membrane showed a higher fuel cell performance at 100℃, 30% RH largely due to the promotion of water transport inside the membrane. It also exhibited comparable chemical durability to that of commercial Nafion 211.

Free Research Field

化学工学

Academic Significance and Societal Importance of the Research Achievements

機械的強度の高い多孔質基材に高分子電解質を充填した細孔フィリング電解質薄膜は、これまで困難とされていた電解質膜の薄膜化を達成し、薄膜化による水挙動の制御で高温低湿度環境下においても高い燃料電池性能を示し、化学耐久性も有することを実証した。本研究で得られた成果は、高温低湿度作動可能な次世代型燃料電池の実用化の普及促進につながると期待される。