Study of the Effect of Membrane Thickness on the Performance of Polymer Electrolyte Fuel Cells by Water Distribution in a Membrane

We used magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) to examine the distribution of the water content in a polymer electrolyte membrane within an operating fuel cell. Of the three thicknesses studied, the thinner membranes were less hydrated than the thickest membrane. In addition, the total water content in the membranes decreased with an increase in the cell current. We also used electrochemical impedance spectroscopy to check the MRI results and found that the spectroscopy results agreed with the imaging results.