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Table 1. Example Voltage and Power Requirements for Fuel Cell Applications
The fuel cell stack power output can be designed by calculating the highest possible power and voltage spike that
may occur during device operation (based upon the load) and then putting a safety factor into the power design
calculation. After the initial power requirements have been estimated, then we can begin preparing the fuel cell
parts and materials. The essential parts of a fuel cell as shown in Figures 1 and 2 are:
1. Proton Exchange Membrane, which helps the chemical reaction inside the fuel cell by allowing the
flow of hydrogen protons through the membrane.
2. Electrode Backing Layers, which allow fuel and oxidant to travel to the catalyst while collecting
electrons.
3. Catalyst, which breaks the fuel into protons and electrons.
4. Flowfield Plates, distribute the gases and liquids throughout the fuel cell.
5. Gaskets, which prevents fuel leakage and helps distribute pressure in the stack.
6. Current Collectors, which collect the electrons from the flowfield plates.
7. End Plates, provide support and apply compression to the components.
8. Clamping Mechanism, which holds the stack together.
Figure 1. Illustration of a Single Cell Fuel Cell
Of course, there are many auxiliary components that are added to commercial fuel cell stacks to optimize and
monitor the fuel cell stack output. Separate humidification and cooling systems are needed for larger stack
sizes to ensure that the system temperature remains low enough for the Nafion® perfluorinated membrane to
stay hydrated to conduct protons efficiently. When contemplating the appropriate fuel cell design, a few basic
considerations are:
• Fuel and oxidant need to be evenly distributed across the surface area of each cell and uniformly
distributed through the stack. This will ensure even power and water generation within the stack.
• The temperature must be uniform throughout the fuel cell stack. This becomes challenging as the
number of cells increase, and the load draws a high-level of power. Uniform temperature ensures a
homogenous rate of power distribution since water becomes more difficult to manage as the temperature
increases.
• If designing a fuel cell with a polymer electrolyte, the membrane must not dry out or become flooded
with water. Water management issues greatly decrease the performance of the fuel cell.
• The resistive losses should be kept to a minimum. One method of reducing these losses is to have good
contact between the conductive components to allow the electrons to flow with minimal resistance.
• The stack must be properly sealed to ensure no gas leakage. The gaskets must be appropriately sized
to adequately seal the stack.
• The stack must be sturdy and able to withstand the necessary environmental conditions.
Figure 2. Single Fuel Cell Stack Parts
After you have compiled these materials, the first step is to prepare the polymer electrolyte membrane.
1. Distilled (DI) water to hydrate the membrane and dissolve surface contaminants.
2. Hydrogen peroxide solution to remove organic contaminants from the PEM surface.
3. Dilute sulfuric acid to remove metal ion contaminants from the PEM surface and sulfonate the PEM
surface.
4. DI water to rinse sulfuric acid from the surface and hydrate the PEM.
5. DI water to rinse and hydrate the PEM again
6. DI water for the final rinse and hydration
When treating the film, make sure that it is submerged at all times so that it is evenly hydrated. The solution
temperature should be monitored to make sure that the temperature remains at 80 °C. After the polymer
electrolyte membrane is dipped in each solution, it should be dried in a clean place.
Each fuel cell MEA requires two pieces of catalyst/electrode material – one for the anode and the other for the
cathode. The GDL, such as the carbon fiber cloth, is the substrate for holding the catalyst and is often coated
with Teflon on one side to help with the water management in the fuel cell stack. The catalyst layer is often
applied using one of several methods, such as painting, screen-printing, sputter diffusion, electrochemical
deposition, electroless deposition, or mechanical deposition. The easiest and lowest cost method for creating
your first fuel cell stack is screen-printing.
The three layers (electrode-PEM-electrode) are then sandwiched between a set of heating plates and then
heated to 90 °C under pressure for one hour to evaporate the solvents from the liquid Nafion® coating. The
temperature is then raised to 130 °C over the next thirty minutes. Once the heating plates and the PEM-electrode
“sandwich” reach 130 °C, additional pressure should be applied to the three layers. After two minutes at that
temperature and pressure, the temperature is turned off, and the plates and MEA are cooled to room
temperature. After hot-pressing, the electrodes and membrane should be fused together.
The number of MEA and flow field plate layers will depend upon the calculated voltage and power requirements
for the particular application. The first fuel cell stack that you create will most likely have only one cell, but
sophisticated stacks for automotive and back-up power supply applications usually have hundreds of cells.
Conclusion
Building fuel cell stacks is a fun and educational way to learn about several different engineering and scientific
disciplines. Many materials and parameters must be considered when designing and building fuel cells. Some of
the most fundamental design considerations include the power required, size, materials, components and
operating conditions. After building your first fuel cell stack, you will easily be able to optimize your fuel cell stack
with detailed design requirements such as material and component selections, flow field, gas diffusion, gasket,
and current collector design.