A Simple and Accurate Method for High-Temperature PEM Fuel Cell Characterisation

A set of basic parameters for any polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cell (PEMFC) includes the Tafel slope b and the exchange current density j* of the cathode catalyst, the oxygen diffusion coefficient D-b in the cathode gas-diffusion layer and the cell resistivity R-cell. Based on the analytical model of a PEMFC [A. A. Kulikovsky, Electrochim. Acta (2004) 617], we propose a two-step procedure allowing to evaluate these parameters for a high-temperature PEMFC. The procedure requires two polarisation curves measured at different oxygen (air) stoichiometries. The method is validated using the experimental data obtained with the in-house designed cell. High quality of fitting confirms validity and accuracy of this approach. The physical background of the method is discussed