Temperature-dependent Study for Hydrogen Crossover in a Polymer Electrolyte Membrane Used in a PEFC

Significance efforts are underway to improve fuel cell performance, with the Polymer Electrolyte Membrane (PEM) being an essential component of Polymer Electrolyte Fuel Cells (PEFCs). The losses within the PEM can be measured through hydrogen crossover. The temperature is a critical variable that directly affects the hydrogen crossover. In this study, the hydrogen crossover and corrected current density as a function of the temperature in a PEM of Nafion® 212 are analyzed. Linear Sweep Voltammetry (LSV) was the primary technique used in this study. Through this method, the hydrogen crossover is strongly affected by temperature. Specifically, with a rise in temperature from 40 °C to 80 °C, the hydrogen crossover increased by 41%. Furthermore, it was determined that the linear model depicted the best way the trend of the hydrogen crossover as a function of the temperature.