Communication—Patterned Electrodes to Increase Water Back-Diffusion in Hydroxide Exchange Membrane Fuel Cells

Abstract

© 2016 The Electrochemical Society. Hydroxide exchange membrane fuel cells (HEMFCs) support non-precious-metal catalysts and have demonstrated high performance, but suffer from flooding on the anode and possible drying on the cathode. We present a novel electrode patterning approach for redistributing water within the cell. Bare membrane channels provide additional pathways for water back-diffusion from anode to cathode, yielding modest performance improvements in the mass transport polarization regime.