Integrated flexible micro pressure, temperature and flow sensors for use in pemfc

Temperature, flow and pressure are critical parameters that influence the performance of fuel cells, in terms of potential, current and power density, for example. Hence, the monitoring of non-uniform temperature/flow rate/pressure within a proton exchange membrane fuel cell (PEMFC) is crucial. To prevent degradation of the performance of a PEMFC, the size of sensors is reduced herein to a μm scale using micro-electro-mechanical systems (MEMS). Integrated flexible micro sensors were fabricated and embedded in a PEMFC to measure local pressure, temperature, and flow rate. The temperatures upstream and downstream of the PEMFC were respectively 64.8°C and 64.7°C at RH50% and 0.1 A/cm², and 62.7°C and 64.3°C at RH100% and 0.1 A/cm².