Work

Relief Zones Enhance the Durability of Ultrathin Membranes in Electrochemical Conversion Devices

Year: 2026

Type: article

Abstract: Premature failures in electrochemical conversion systems often result when membrane electrode assemblies (MEAs) use ultrathin (≤15 μm-thick) polymer electrolyte membranes, susceptible to mechanical degradation from stress concentrations arising from device-level integration. Herein, relief zones were developed to mitigate mechanical degradation by alleviating excess and nonuniform compression across active areas. Relief zones, created through ablation of carbonaceous diffusion media, enable seamless adaptation across MEA dimensions without need for hardware modifications. Demonstrated using fuel cells as a case study, accelerated stress tests revealed a 6-fold lifetime improvement (∼1500 h) compared to conventional edge-protected MEAs, decoupling device-level engineering effects from material limitations.

Source: ACS Applied Energy Materials

DOI: 10.1021/acsaem.5c03843

Authors: Audrey K. Taylor, Megan McVeigh, Catherine Weiss, Kenneth C. Neyerlin

Institutions: National Laboratory of the Rockies, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory

Language: English

Topic: Fuel Cells and Related Materials

Subfield: Electrical and Electronic Engineering

Field: Engineering

Domain: Physical Sciences

SDG: Affordable and clean energy

Open Access status: hybrid

Estimated APC paid: $4,500