The course provides an overview of the various types of fuel cells followed by a detailed discussion of the proton-exchange membrane (PEM) fuel cell fundamentals: thermodynamics relations including cell equilibrium, standard potentials, and Nernst equation; transport and adsorption in proton-exchange membranes and supported liquid electrolytes; transport in gas-diffusion electrodes; kinetics and catalysis of electrocatalytic reactions including kinetics of elementary reactions, the Butler-Volmer equation, reaction routes and mechanisms; kinetics of overall anode and cathode reactions for hydrogen and direct methanol fuel cells; and overall design and performance characteristics of PEM fuel cells.
CHE 531: Fuel Cell Technology
Department