An Experimental Study on the Performance of Proton Exchange Membrane Fuel Cells with Marine Ion Contamination

Proton exchange membrane fuel cells (PEMFCs) have the advantages of high efficiency, a low operating temperature, and a pollution-free reaction. Therefore, PEMFCs have emerged as a viable clean energy solution for ships to reduce their carbon emissions. When PEMFCs operate in marine salt spray environments, foreign ions entering the cathodes of fuel cells with air can cause a decline in cell performance. In this study, the effects of the cation type (K+, Na+, Mg2+, and Ca2+) and concentration (0.25 M and 0.5 M) on cell performance in terms of the polarization curve were systematically investigated using a fuel cell test system. Cell performance degradation was observed due to the existence of cations. The influence of the four cations on cell performance followed the rule of Ca2+ > Mg2+ > Na+ > K+. Meanwhile, cell performance decreased with an increase in concentration. When the fuel cell was not contaminated, the voltage was 0.645 V at a current density of 1 A/cm2. When the concentration was 0.5 M, the corresponding voltages were 0.594 V, 0.583 V, 0.559 V, and 0.300 V, respectively. In addition, fuel cells contaminated by NaNO3 and NaCl were compared. Due to the existence of Cl−, more severe performance degradation was observed when the fuel cells were contaminated by NaCl.