Performance Characteristics of Membrane Electrode Assemblies Using the Easytest Cell

The autonomous test electrode assembly, the EasyTest Cell, will be described in a detailed constructional version. The testing opportunities offered by the system will be discussed. Some instructive examples will be given including: performance characteristics of the gas diffusion electrode and disclosure of transport limitations. Pt load optimization studies will be demonstrated.

Testing procedures, including performance characteristics and service life of electrochemical energy converting (EcEC) cells based on gas reactions can be very arduous and burdensome. The main reason for the problem is the need of constant reagent supply under strongly controlled conditions and composition, impeding greatly the experiment.

With reversible gas reactions, e.g. the hydrogen-oxygen-water electrochemical system, the consumed reagents in the cell under study, the test cell (TC), can be recovered quantitatively in a second, reagent recovery cell (RRC) connected in series with the first. If the reagent gas compartments of both cells are connected in a proper way the products of the RRC can be supplied to the reagent gas compartments of the TC, so that the system can be isolated from the environment and be run completely autonomously in a “close circuit material circulation”, as already discussed in the first lecture.