We present a new model for anion exchange membrane fuel cells. Validation against experimental polarization curve data is obtained for current densities ranging from zero to above 2 A cm⁻². Experimental transient data is also successfully reproduced. The model is very flexible and can be used to explore the system's sensitivity to a wide range of material properties, cell design specifications, and operating parameters. We demonstrate the impact of gas inlet relative humidity (RH), operating current density, ionomer loading and ionomer ion exchange capacity (IEC) values on cell performance. In agreement with the literature, high air RH levels are shown to improve cell performance. At high current densities (>1 A cm⁻²) this effect is observed to be especially significant. Simulated hydration number distributions across the cell reveal the related critical dependence of cathode hydration on air RH and current density values. When exploring catalyst layer design, optimal intermediate ionomer loading values are demonstrated. The benefits of asymmetric (cathode versus anode) electrode design are revealed, showing enhanced performance using higher cathode IEC levels. Finally, electrochemical reaction profiles across the electrodes uncover inhomogeneous catalyst utilization. Specifically, at high current densities the cathodic reaction is confined to a narrow region near the membrane.

我们提出了一种阴离子交换膜燃料电池的新模型。针对从零到大于2 A cm ^-2的电流密度，获得了针对实验极化曲线数据的验证。实验瞬态数据也可以成功复制。该模型非常灵活，可用于探索系统对各种材料特性，电池设计规格和操作参数的敏感性。我们展示了进气口相对湿度（RH），工作电流密度，离聚物负载和离聚物离子交换容量（IEC）值对电池性能的影响。与文献一致，高空气RH水平显示可改善电池性能。在高电流密度（> 1 A cm ^-2）观察到这种效果尤其显着。电池中模拟的水合数分布揭示了阴极水合对空气RH和电流密度值的关键依赖性。在探索催化剂层设计时，已证明了最佳的中间离聚物负载量。揭示了不对称（阴极与阳极）电极设计的好处，显示出使用更高的阴极IEC等级可增强性能。最后，电极上的电化学反应曲线揭示了催化剂的不均匀利用。具体地，在高电流密度下，阴极反应被限制在膜附近的狭窄区域。