The Effect of Fuel and Air Side Contaminants in a Proton Exchange Membrane Fuel Cell and Methods for Mitigation

Investigations into the effects of fuel and air side contaminants within a proton exchange membrane fuel cell (PEMFC) were conducted via the introduction of selected contaminants in a controlled environment. Results show low electrical costs for hydrogen (\u3e99% purity) production (\u3c$2.00/kg), while utilizing the electrochemical separation of CO in a pulsed hydrogen pump system. Mitigation techniques within a PEMFC have shown a reduction in the voltage loss by a factor of 5 while operating with 1% CO at 400 mA/cm2. Lastly, cation contaminants were observed to accelerate the pitting corrosion on the aluminum sublayer of gold plated aluminum, within an acidic PEMFC simulated environment