Controlling electrode catalysts for managing water in PEMFC

Abstract

Demand for alternative and renewable energy source steadily increases because of depletion of fossil fuels and environmental pollution problems. Under this circumstance, advances toward hydrogen economy are on the rise all over the world, and demands are increased for stable generation and supply of energy by enhancing performance and stability of proton exchange membrane fuel cells (PEMFCs) which is one of the most important technologies in hydrogen economy. In the PEMFC system, water is essential matter and it is related to performance and durability directly and complexly. So, managing water is one of the most important factors for PEMFC research, and many studies on various fields are conducted to achieving this purpose. In this thesis, water in PEMFC is properly managed through controlling the electrode catalysts, which are the key component of membrane electrode assembly (MEA), under low humidity condition and hydrogen starvation condition.