Advanced Visualization Tools to Investigate PEM Fuel Cell Materials

Significant advancements have been made towards the commercialization of polymer electrolyte membrane (PEM) fuel cells in recent years. However, prohibitive costs and limited durability still remain as barriers toward deep market penetration, and these challenges largely stem from an incomplete understanding of how the nanoscale and microscale features of the porous materials in the PEM fuel cell affect multiphase and thermal transport within the bulk and at the interfacial regions of these porous layers. Non-traditional tools are needed more than ever to address these challenges. In the Thermofluids for Energy and Advanced Materials (TEAM) Laboratory at the University of Toronto, we employ a variety of advanced visualization tools to characterize the nanoscale and microscale features of the porous layers of the PEM fuel cell within ex-situ and in-situ environments. Accurate material characterizations are used as inputs for developing our predictive models, and visualizations serve as validations for our numerical modelling work. Our goal is to develop predictive numerical models that will serve as design tools that we can use to prescribe three-dimensional material properties for tailored thermal and liquid water transport for the next generation of PEM fuel cell technologies