Proton exchange membrane testing and diagnostics

Development in the field of proton exchange membrane fuel cells (PEMFCs) is imperative to realize the desired technological shift toward sustainable energy. This advent demands commercial competence in terms of price, performance, and durability against the cheap but depleting and polluting nonrenewables. A crucial concern here is the PEMFC testing standards to maintain global uniformity and compliance among a diverse community of researchers. The development of efficient diagnostic tools to assess the failures in PEMFC also gain immense significance for the advancement of PEMFC technology. Such techniques assist in the detection of failures and the source of origin which provides valuable inputs for the designing of strategies to recover and extend PEMFC performance. This chapter comprehensively lays out standard testing protocols to ensure universal coherence and describes the key diagnostic tools employed for the evaluation of PEMFC performance. The key quantifiable parameters and the fundamental principles behind the obtainable outcome toward PEMFC performance are discussed in the light of latest mechanistic understanding. These will pave the way for optimizing the design and operation conditions to attain a highly efficient PEMFC system.