Fuel cell fundamentals

Proton exchange membrane fuel cells (PEMFCs) are considered one of the viable solutions to the decarbonization of the transport sector. However, their performance and durability are yet to be competitive with internal engine vehicles due to the complex interaction of electrochemical and physical phenomena in PEMFCs. The electrochemical and physical phenomena that occurred in PEMFCs, including the polarization curves, profiles of the reactant and product species, velocities of species, as well as temperature distribution, could be described by coupling the reaction kinetics with the transport processes of mass, momentum, energy, and charge. In this chapter, the fundamentals and operating principles of PEMFCs are explained along with the governing equations that describe various electrochemical and multi-physics transport processes in PEMFCs.