In recent times, we have witnessed accelerated development of hydrogen technologies that enable the storage of excess renewable energy in hydrogen. The development is intensely focused on proton exchange membrane (PEM) fuel cell technology. This technology is currently the most used for various applications. As part of the master’s thesis, we experimentally investigated the effects on the performance of PEM fuel cells. We introduced new, advanced characterization techniques into the existing system. We upgraded the testing facility by integrating new methods, which will allow for more detailed research on the impact of variables on fuel cell performance. We designed and schematically laid out the testing facility and defined new measurement methods for testing and characterizing fuel cells. We introduced a probe technique for detecting the surface distribution of current density on the fuel cell and the technique of electrochemical impedance spectroscopy into the existing measurement system. “In-situ” methods were performed with the simultaneous use of various characterization techniques. Based on the obtained results, we will analyse the performance of the fuel cell and determine which method is most suitable for each segment of the study and which would provide the most appropriate results based on the subject of the study.
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