An Investigation of Different Methods of Fabricating Membrane Electrode Assemblies for Methanol Fuel Cells
Name
556053930-MIT.pdf
Description
Full printable version
Size
7.24 MB
Format
Adobe PDF
Checksum (MD5)
4f7289a981caae5e71343b39c27bdc61
Author(s)
Hall, Kwame (Kwame J.)
Advisor(s)
Jung-Hoon Chun.
Date Issued
2009
Publisher
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Abstract
Methanol fuel cells are electrochemical conversion devices that produce electricity from methanol fuel. The current process of fabricating membrane electrode assemblies (MEAs) is tedious and if it is not sufficiently controlled can be very imprecise. The optimization of this process is paramount to the commercialization and mass production of methanol fuel cells. In order to further understanding this process, MEAs were fabricated according to the decal method using different processes to apply the catalyst ink. The performances of fabricated MEAs were evaluated using a potentiostat. Polarization curves and power density curves were produced to compare the performance of the cells and gain insight into the effects of various parameters on fuel cell performance. Finally, based on the difficulties experienced and the lessons learned during the process, recommendations for future experimentation were made.
Description
Thesis (S.B.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dept. of Mechanical Engineering, 2009.
Cataloged from PDF version of thesis.
Includes bibliographical references (p. 46).
Subjects
Mechanical Engineering.
MIT Department
Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Department of Mechanical Engineering
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