In Situ and Operando Tools for Advanced Research on Polymer Electrolyte Membrane Fuel Cells (PEMFC)

Dear Colleagues,

Since the 1970s, industrial developers and world governments have shown great interest in developing hydrogen and fuel cell technologies, the last being considered as one of a portfolio of options for clean energy sources alternative to fossil fuels. More specifically, the Proton Exchange Membrane Fuel Cell (PEMFC), using ion exchange membranes as electrolyte, is the technology of choice for portable power supplies and automotive applications. However, in view of large-scale marketing, progress still needs to be made in the interrelated areas of cost, performances and durability.

The PEMFC operation involves coupled transport phenomena and mechanisms (concerning the electrochemical reaction as well as heat, mass and charge transfer processes) occurring within and across a layered structure of media with different porosity and permeability. This makes the way PEMFCs work and age highly heterogeneous, difficult to predict and model. It appears evident that filling the gap between the state-of-art of the PEMFC technology and targets imposed by the industrial scale production will not be possible by trial and error approaches. This points out the interest of in situ and operando techniques that provide information on the local environment inside the PEMFC during operation, therefore able of producing useful inputs for forthcoming numerical studies and deeper insights into fundamental mechanisms and phenomena governing the electrochemical behavior and ageing of the membrane-electrode assembly.

This Special Issue aims to bringing together new developments in in situ and operando techniques devoted to the characterization of the PEMFC core components (i.e. membrane, electrodes, microporous and gas diffusion layers) individually or as a whole. Original research articles and reviews that provide accomplishments on the following topics, but not limited to these, are welcome:

• performance
• structure
• ageing
• ocal conditions
• water distribution and management
• temperature distribution and management
• current distribution
• transport losses

Dr. Stefano Deabate
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

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• proton exchange membrane fuel cell
• membrane-electrode assembly
• in situ and operando characterization
• electrochemical performances
• local conditions
• water distribution and management
• temperature distribution and management
• current distribution
• transport losses
• ageing