Experimental study of proton exchange membrane fuel cells using Nafion 212 and Nafion 211 for portable application at ambient pressure and temperature conditions

Low humidification, large air stoichiometry, dry hydrogen and low operational temperature makes open-cathode proton exchange membrane fuel cells (PEMFCs) with forced-air convection, which is designed for portable applications, quite different from that used in automobile vehicles. In this paper, PEMFCs humidified at 30 °C using Nafion 212 and Nafion 211 as electrolytes were systematically investigated under simulating conditions. These conditions included air stoichiometry from 3 to 100 and cell temperature from 30 °C to 60 °C. The results indicate that the thinner membrane (Nafion 211) had better performance and more stable voltage output under air dual-function configuration than Nafion 212. Furthermore, the dynamic response of the voltage with cell temperature was also studied during rising and cooling procedure between 30 °C and 60 °C.

► Evaluation of single cell in a simulated condition of open-cathode stack.
► The conditions include low humidification and temperature and large air stoichiometry.
► The thinner Nafion 211 membrane shows better polarization curves than Nafion 212.
► The voltage variation under dynamic discharging is also smaller for Nafion 211.