Transparent PEM Fuel Cells for Direct Visualization Experiments

This paper reviews some of the previous research works on direct visualization of water behavior inside proton exchange membrane (PEM) fuel cells using a transparent single cell. Several papers which have employed the method have been selected and summarized, and a comparison between the design of the cell, materials, methods, and visual results are presented. The important aspects, advantages of the method, and a summary on the previous investigations are discussed. Some initial works on transparent PEM fuel cell design using a single serpentine flow-field pattern are described. The results show that the direct visualization via transparent PEM fuel cells could be one potential technique for investigating the water behavior inside the channels and a very promising way forward to provide useful data for validation in PEM fuel cell modeling and simulation.