A fuel cell is an electrochemical device used to create electricity through a reaction between a fuel (such as hydrogen) and an oxidant (such as oxygen) in the presence of an electrolyte. In addition to producing electricity, the reaction generates by-products, which typically are only water and heat. Therefore, using fuel cells is an environmentally friendly way to produce electricity. During the various stages of fuel cell development, the need arises to draw current from the fuel cell or fuel cell stack. In addition, measuring the AC impedance of the fuel cell can help identify the kinetic and ohmic resistance, which can uncover efficiency issues by revealing internal cell losses. Measuring impedance across a range of frequencies (electrochemical impedance spectroscopy or EIS) can help identify problems with the fuel cell components or deviations in the fuel cell assembly process. This webcast discusses a method for measuring fuel cell impedance using a function generator and an electronic load to generate impedance measurements across a range of frequencies.

Who should view this webcast:
Designers/manufacturers/researchers of fuel cells for stationary, transportation and portable applications.