Kaspar Andreas Friedrich

Nanosized IrO(x)-Ir Catalyst with Relevant Activity for Anodes of Proton Exchange Membrane Electrolysis Produced by a Cost-Effective Procedure.

We have developed a highly active nanostructured iridium catalyst for anodes of proton exchange membrane (PEM) electrolysis. Clusters of nanosized crystallites are obtained by reducing surfactant-stabilized IrCl3 in water-free conditions. The catalyst shows a five-fold higher activity towards oxygen evolution reaction (OER) than commercial Ir-black. The improved kinetics of the catalyst are reflected in the high performance of the PEM electrolyzer (1 mg(Ir) cm(-2)), showing an unparalleled low overpotential and negligible degradation. Our results demonstrate that this enhancement cannot be only attributed to increased surface area, but rather to the ligand effect and low coordinate sites resulting in a high turnover frequency (TOF). The catalyst developed herein sets a benchmark and a strategy for the development of ultra-low loading catalyst layers for PEM electrolysis.

In situ study of methanol oxidation on Pt and Pt/Ru-mixed with Nafion® anodes in a direct methanol fuel cell by means of FTIR spectroscopy

Methanol and carbon monoxide (CO) oxidation on unsupported Pt- and Pt/Ru-mixed with Nafion® anodes in the direct methanol fuel cell (DMFC) were studied by in situ Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy. IR measurements were performed using a specially constructed DMFC by diffuse reflection and on-line transmittance techniques at different potentials applied to anodes under cell operating conditions. The experiments show that the major products of the methanol oxidation are methylformate, carbon monoxide and carbon dioxide. No other products could be discerned. This fact is in contrast with the results reported for smooth/single crystal electrodes in a supporting electrolyte environment, where other products (COHads, formaldehyde, formic acid and dimethoxymethane) were found. This can reflect a difference in the electrochemical conditions in the real DMFC and those which are set on the model electrodes. Inverse and bipolar IR band shapes of the linearly bound CO (COL) were observed. The exact reason for the anomalous shape is not understood, however, the influence of the mixed or supporting material on the optical response of the COL is obvious. The COL experiences reduced influence from the applied potential. The possible reasons are discussed.

Low-Cost and Durable Bipolar Plates for Proton Exchange Membrane Electrolyzers

Cost reduction and high efficiency are the mayor challenges for sustainable H2 production via proton exchange membrane (PEM) electrolysis. Titanium-based components such as bipolar plates (BPP) have the largest contribution to the capital cost. This work proposes the use of stainless steel BPPs coated with Nb and Ti by magnetron sputtering physical vapor deposition (PVD) and vacuum plasma spraying (VPS), respectively. The physical properties of the coatings are thoroughly characterized by scanning electron, atomic force microscopies (SEM, AFM); and X-ray diffraction, photoelectron spectroscopies (XRD, XPS). The Ti coating (50 μm) protects the stainless steel substrate against corrosion, while a 50-fold thinner layer of Nb decreases the contact resistance by almost one order of magnitude. The Nb/Ti-coated stainless steel bipolar BPPs endure the harsh environment of the anode for more than 1000 h of operation under nominal conditions, showing a potential use in PEM electrolyzers for large-scale H2 production from renewables.

Investigation of Locally Resolved SOFC Characteristics along the Flow Path

Solid oxide fuel cells (SOFCs) are characterized locally in a segmented cell arrangement. The tests were performed in counter flow operation for hydrogen concentrations from 2% to 100% to identify concentration limitations and to optimize fuel utilization. Cell characterisations were obtained for different cell concepts by voltage/current density U(i) and temperature measurements as well as gas chromatography measurements at 16 distinct points across the cell. The results show a substantial variation of current density and voltage distribution along the flow path with varying hydrogen content and fuel utilization. Especially at high fuel utilizations approaching 100% a dramatic dependence of power density along the flow path occurs which is associated with increasing degradation. The observation of inhomogeneous temperature distribution emphasizes the importance of thermal management adapted to the cell operation characteristics, particularly when the stack itself only has a low thermal mass.

In-Situ Diagnostics of PEFCs

Polymer electrolyte fuel cells (PEFCs) are one of the most interesting alternatives for a pollution-free electrical energy production in many applications where a highly reliable source of electricity is needed. One of the major challenges in the development of PEFCs is to exploit the whole capacity that is inherent to a given membrane electrode assembly (MEA). In practice, certain obstacles remain to be overcome like local mass transport effects, non-uniformly manufactured MEAs, locally varying contact resistances, water management and temperature gradients. All these parameters lead to an inhomogeneous electrochemical activity over the electrode area. Consequently, a variation and a gradient of the current density over the cell area occurs which tends to result in inferior performance and low durability of a PEFC. For the determination of current density distribution different in-situ methods and measurement techniques are applied. Results can be used to improve cell components, to validate models and to detect inappropriate detrimental operating conditions of the fuel cell.Copyright

Dynamic Behavior and In-Situ Diagnostics of PEFCs

During fuel cell operation the electrochemical activity often is not homogenous over the electrode area. This may be caused by an non-uniform water content in the membrane, an inhomogeneous temperature distribution, and reactant gradients in the cell. Consequently a variation of the current density over the cell area occurs which tends to result in inferior performance. For in situ measurements of the current density distribution in fuel cell stacks a segmented bipolar plate was developed. The segmented bipolar plate was first tested in single cells with stack endplates to verify the function of all components. The tests showed that the measurement tool works very reliable and accurate. The insight in an operating fuel cell stack via current density distribution measurement is very helpful to investigate interactions between cells. Results can be used to validate models and to optimise stack components, e.g. flow field and manifold design, as well as to detect the best stack operating conditions. By applying segmented bipolar plates as sensor plates for stack system controls an improved performance, safe operation and longer life cycles can be achieved. The developed segmented bipolar plates with integrated current sensors were used to assemble a short stack consisting of 3 cells; each of them having an active area of 25cm2 divided into 49 segments. The design of the bipolar plate proofed very suitable for easy assembling of single cells and stacks. First measurement results show that different current distributions can appear in the cells and these can vary from cell to cell, depending on the operating conditions of the stack. Electrical coupling between the cells was investigated and found to be only marginal for the assembly used.Copyright