Effect of clamping stress on Cold Start Performance of PEMFC

The cold start performance of a proton exchange membrane fuel cell (PEMFC) is significant to its application in subzero temperature environments. The cold start performance of the PEMFC would be affected if the contact between cathode catalyst layer (CL) and microporous layer (MPL) interface is not close. This study investigated the cold start performance of a PEMFC with different clamping stress and analyzed the influence of assembly pressures between the CL and MPL on the content of supercooled water and PEMFC performance. The analyses were based on tests of the pressure distribution between the CL and MPL through measurements of measuring the output voltage and electrochemical impedance of the PEMFC. The results show that the water content between the CL and MPL decreases with an increase in the clamping stress inside the fuel cells, which is beneficial to the cold starting of the PEMFC. (C) 2019 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.