Investigation of the Impact of Interfacial Delamination on Polymer Electrolyte Fuel Cell Performance

A two-dimensional anisotropic model is developed to investigate the impact of local delamination on polymer electrolyte fuel cell (PEFC) performance. Localized interfacial delamination of the membrane∣catalyst layer and catalyst layer∣diffusion media were found to increase ohmic resistance significantly. As interfacial delamination width and area fraction increases, the ohmic resistance sharply increases in a nonlinear manner. The in-plane resistance and in-plane–to–thru-plane resistance ratio of PEFC components adjacent to the delamination were determined to be the key controlling parameters for increase in ohmic resistance. The membrane is a critical component because of its relatively low conductivity and very thin cross section. Finally, it is shown that under frozen conditions, small interfacial delaminations can result in a greater ohmic loss due to significantly lower membrane conductivity compared to normal operating conditions.