A theoretical study of membrane constraint in polymer‐electrolyte fuel cells
Abstract
A mathematical model is developed that examines the effect of having a constrained membrane in a fuel cell. During operation, a polymer‐electrolyte fuel‐cell membrane is prone to swell but is unable to do so by system design. This builds up a stress that affects transport in, and the properties of, the membrane. This report is the first to incorporate such effects into a macrohomogeneous model. Both the physical and mathematical effects are described. Results include the magnitude of constraint, the change in water content of the membrane attributed to constraint, and one‐dimensional simulations showing the effect of constraint on the water balance of the fuel cell. The paper demonstrates the need for considering membrane constraint both in modeling and experimental studies of fuel cells. © 2004 American Institute of Chemical Engineers AIChE J, 50: 3215–3226, 2004
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Weber and Newman proposed that a membrane within a PEMFC MEA can be described by a degree of constraint χc, such that the membrane volume change under hydration is zero with χc = 1 and equals its free, unconstrained value with χc = 0.
“To assess the influence of mechanical stress on water transport in an operating PEMFC, Weber and Newman proposed that a membrane within a PEMFC MEA can be described by a degree of constraint χc, such that the membrane volume change under hydration is zero with χc = 1 and equals its free, unconstrained value with χc = 0 [148]:(105)V¯mem=V¯p+λV¯w(1−χc)”
From Modelling the Proton-Conductive Membrane in Practical Polymer Electrolyte Membrane Fuel Cell (PEMFC) Simulation: A Review (2020) · cites this paper as [148]
Membrane expansion is likely to compress the GDL of the operating PEMFC due to the higher stiffness of the membrane compared to the GDL.
“It has also been reported that membrane expansion is likely to compress the GDL of the operating PEMFC due to the higher stiffness of the membrane compared to the GDL [13,148].”
From Modelling the Proton-Conductive Membrane in Practical Polymer Electrolyte Membrane Fuel Cell (PEMFC) Simulation: A Review (2020) · cites this paper as [148]
Considering that the constraint introduces an associated stress that contributes to the chemical potential of water, Weber and Newman assumed a balance between the chemical potential for water inside and outside the membrane in terms of membrane bulk modulus, yielding a comparison to the unconstrained case.
“Considering that the constraint introduces an associated stress that will contribute to the chemical potential of the water, this work assumed a balance between the chemical potential for water inside and outside the membrane in terms of membrane bulk modulus, and yielded a comparison to the unconstrained case as [148]:(106)λconstrainedλfree=(V¯memV¯p+λV¯w)YmemV¯w3RT”
From Modelling the Proton-Conductive Membrane in Practical Polymer Electrolyte Membrane Fuel Cell (PEMFC) Simulation: A Review (2020) · cites this paper as [148]
Both experimental and theoretical studies have implicated the load due to membrane swelling in a lowering of the effective water content of the membrane.
“Both experimental and theoretical studies have implicated the load due to membrane swelling in a lowering of the effective water content of the membrane [128,148,152], with an experimental cap on water uptake of λmax = 6.5 reported in one case [128].”
From Modelling the Proton-Conductive Membrane in Practical Polymer Electrolyte Membrane Fuel Cell (PEMFC) Simulation: A Review (2020) · cites this paper as [148]
Cites
Transport in Polymer-Electrolyte Membranes
Weber, A. Z., & Newman, J. (2004) · Journal of The Electrochemical Society · doi:10.1149/1.1639157 · Cited by 462 · see citing works
Self-citationTransport in Polymer-Electrolyte Membranes
Weber, A. Z., & Newman, J. (2003) · Journal of The Electrochemical Society · doi:10.1149/1.1580822 · Cited by 411 · see citing works
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New Insights into Perfluorinated Sulfonic-Acid Ionomers
Kusoglu, A., & Weber, A. Z. (2017) · Chemical Reviews · doi:10.1021/acs.chemrev.6b00159 · Cited by 2,432 · see citing works
Self-citationDickinson, E. J. F., & Smith, G. (2020) · Membranes · doi:10.3390/membranes10110310 · Cited by 101 · see citing works
- Authors
- Weber, A. Z., & Newman, J.
- Affiliations
- University of California, Berkeley (US)
- Corresponding author
- Weber, Adam Z.
- Venue
- AIChE Journal
- Publisher
- Wiley
- Published
- 2004-11-11
- Volume
- 50
- Issue
- 12
- Pages
- 3215-3226
- ISSN
- 0001-1541 (ISSN-L)
- 1547-5905
- OpenAlex
- W2014893269
- Cited by
- 88
- References
- 2
- Citations by year
- 2026: 1 · 2025: 2 · 2023: 1 · 2022: 2 · 2021: 1 · 2020: 2 · 2019: 3 · 2018: 3 · 2017: 4 · 2015: 7 · 2014: 8 · 2013: 4 · 2012: 4
- FWCI
- 3.58
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Locations
- AIChE Journal (publishedVersion)
- Topics
- Physical Sciences › Engineering › Electrical and Electronic Engineering › Fuel Cells and Related Materials
- Physical Sciences › Materials Science › Materials Chemistry › Advancements in Solid Oxide Fuel Cells
- Physical Sciences › Engineering › Biomedical Engineering › Membrane-based Ion Separation Techniques
- Keywords
- proton exchange membrane fuel cells, membrane swelling, membrane stress, water balance, membrane hydration, one-dimensional simulation
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