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Although the widespread use of fuel cells in vehicles and the home is getting closer, there is still a great deal of research to be done on how the devices can be used safely and practically.

At the US’s Sandia National Laboratory in New Mexico, Ken Chen and Mike Hickner are using 2D and 3D modelling techniques to determine how water behaves inside fuel cells, and how it should be managed to produce the best energy output.

The work is focusing on polymer electrolyte membrane (PEM) cells which, because of their relatively high output and compact size, are generally believed to be the most versatile cell type for both domestic and automotive applications.

In these cells, the cathode and anode are positioned on either side of a polymer membrane. At the anode, electrons are stripped from the hydrogen atom, and the membrane only allows protons — hydrogen ions — through from anode to cathode, where they combine with oxygen ions to form water.