Effect of water transport properties on a PEM fuel cell operating with dry hydrogen

In this work, membrane resistance measurement and water balance experiment were implemented to investigate the feasibility for a PEM fuel cell operating with dry hydrogen. The results showed that when a thin membrane was used in a cell the performance and the membrane resistance changed a little while the anode humidity changed from saturated to dry. Comparing with the anode humidity, the influence of the cathode humidity was serious on the cell performance. The water balance experiments showed that the net water transport coefficient was negative even the anode was humidified and liquid water existed not only in the cathode but also in the anode. High cathode humidity was disadvantage for the removal of water both in the anode and the cathode. (c) 2006 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.