Home > News > Industry News

Hydrogen fuel cell reactor key components and materials

2023-02-16

1. Membrane electrode assembly 

The membrane electrode is the core of the reactor, similar to the CPU in a computer, and determines the maximum performance, life and cost of the reactor. The membrane electrode module consists of a proton exchange membrane, a catalyst and a gas diffusion layer (gas diffusion layer). The main performance indicators include power output per unit surface area (power density), gold demand (amount of platinum per unit power output), life and cost. Catalyst coating (CCM) technology, the second generation production technology, is used in the production of membrane electrode, with Roll-to-Rioll continuous high speed production capacity. 


(1) Proton Exchange membrane (PEM) Proton exchange membrane is the core component of proton exchange membrane fuel cell (PEMFC), is a kind of polymer electrolyte membrane, the current mainstream trend of proton exchange membrane is perfluorosulfonic acid enhanced composite membrane, proton exchange membrane gradually tends to thin, tens of microns down to ten microns, reduce the ohmic polarization of proton transfer, in order to achieve higher performance. 


(2) catalyst In the reactor of hydrogen fuel cell, the oxidation reaction of hydrogen and reduction reaction of oxygen on electrode are mainly controlled by catalyst. Catalyst is the main factor affecting the activation polarization of hydrogen fuel cells, and is regarded as the key material of hydrogen fuel cells. At present, Pt/C is the commonly used catalyst in fuel cells, that is, the loaded catalyst which consists of Pt nanoparticles dispersed to the carbon powder (such as XC-72) carrier. (3) gas diffusion layer The gas diffusion layer (GDL) consists of a carbon fiber base layer and a carbon microporous layer, which is located between the flow field and the membrane electrode. The main function of GDL is to provide a transport channel for the gas involved in the reaction and the generated water, and support the membrane electrode. Therefore, GDL must have good mechanical strength, suitable pore structure, good electrical conductivity and high stability. 


2. Bipolar plate As the core structural components of the reactor, the bipolar plate plays the role of evenly distributing gas, draining water, conducting heat and electricity, accounting for about 60% of the weight and nearly 20% of the cost of the whole fuel cell. Its performance directly affects the output power and service life of the battery. Bipolar plate materials are divided into carbon and metal base materials, carbon base plate is divided into graphite plate and composite film carbon plate two categories. 


Graphite bipolar plate is generally non-porous graphite plate or carbon plate as the base material, and the use of CNC machine tools for flow processing, domestic graphite bipolar plate technology in recent years has developed very rapidly, the technical level is comparable to foreign countries, but the thickness is usually more than 2mm. Composite film pressed carbon plate in foreign countries has broken through 0.8mm sheet technology, with the same volume power density as metal plate.


We use cookies to offer you a better browsing experience, analyze site traffic and personalize content. By using this site, you agree to our use of cookies. Privacy Policy
Reject Accept