Document Type
Article
Publication Date
1-1-2014
Publication Title
Journal of Power Sources
Abstract
The electrodes used for Proton Exchange Membrane Fuel Cells (PEMFCs) are typically painted or sprayed onto the membrane during manufacturing, making it difficult to directly characterize their mechanical behavior as a stand-alone material. An experimental-numerical hybrid technique is devised to extract the electrode properties from the experimentally measured properties of Nafion® 211 membrane1 and a membrane electrode assembly (MEA) based on Nafion® 211 membrane at various temperatures, humidities, and strain rates. Within the linear regime, the rule-of-mixtures assuming an iso-strain condition is used to calculate the rate-dependent Young's modulus of the electrodes. Beyond the linear regime, reverse analysis is conducted using finite element models of the MEA to determine the non-linear behavior of the electrodes. The mechanical damage mechanisms that occur in the MEA during tensile loading are also investigated through interrupted tension tests and then incorporated into the finite element models for determining the electrode behavior. The results suggest that the electrodes have similar behavior to Nafion® 211 membrane as functions of strain rate, temperature and humidity, but with lower Young's modulus and proportional limit.
Recommended Citation
Lu, Z., Santare, M. H., Karlsson, A. M., 2014, "Time-Dependent Mechanical Behavior of Proton Exchange Membrane Fuel Cell Electrodes," Journal of Power Sources, 245, pp. 543-552.
DOI
10.1016/j.jpowsour.2013.07.013
Version
Postprint
Publisher's Statement
NOTICE: this is the author’s version of a work that was accepted for publication in Journal of Power Sources. Changes resulting from the publishing process, such as peer review, editing, corrections, structural formatting, and other quality control mechanisms may not be reflected in this document. Changes may have been made to this work since it was submitted for publication. A definitive version was subsequently published in Journal of Power Sources, 245, , (01-01-2014); 10.1016/j.jpowsour.2013.07.013
Volume
245
Comments
This research has been supported by W.L. Gore & Associates under a grant (DE-FC36-086018052) from the United States Department of Energy.