Pith. sign in

REVIEW 1 major objections 1 minor 44 references

Poisoning effect of ammonia on the performance and transport process of proton exchange membrane fuel cells

T0 review · 1 major / 1 minor · reviewed 2026-06-25 · grok-4.3

Challenge this review Re-run · record.json Download PDF Read on arXiv ↗

Pith's one-line read Ammonia impurities reduce proton conductivity in PEM fuel cells, lowering performance.

desk verdict This is a standard 3D simulation of ammonia poisoning in PEM fuel cells that reports conductivity drops and mitigation trends but rests entirely on unvalidated model outputs. read the letter →

arxiv 2606.25992 v1 pith:LJDGCZPN submitted 2026-06-24 physics.flu-dyn

Yaxian Han , Wei Gao , Yichao Huang , Tianyou Wang , Zhizhao Che This is my paper
classification physics.flu-dyn
keywords ammoniapoisoningPEMfuelcellsprotonconductivitynumericalmodeltransportprocesshydrogencarrieroperatingconditions
verification ladder T0 review T1 audit T2 compute T3 formal

The pith

A machine-rendered reading of the paper's core claim, the machinery that carries it, and where it could break.

The reading

The paper builds a three-dimensional numerical model of proton exchange membrane fuel cells to examine the effects of trace ammonia impurities from decomposed ammonia used as a hydrogen source. It establishes that ammonia poisons the cell mainly by cutting proton conductivity in the membrane and the anode catalyst layer. The study then maps how this effect changes with ammonia concentration, operating temperature, humidity levels, and membrane thickness, using distributions of conductivity, current density, and water content. A sympathetic reader would care because ammonia offers a compact way to store and transport hydrogen, yet any persistent impurity could limit the reliability of fuel-cell systems that rely on it.

What carries the argument

Three-dimensional numerical model of PEM fuel cells that incorporates ammonia impurities and tracks the resulting changes in proton conductivity, current density, and dissolved water content across the cell.

What would settle it

An experiment that measures proton conductivity in the membrane and anode layer at the modeled ammonia concentrations and finds no reduction would falsify the central claim.

Watch

Extended reading notes

Core claim

The results show that ammonia diminishes the cell performance by substantially reducing the proton conductivity of both the PEM and the anode catalyst layer. Higher operating temperatures and higher operating humidity can alleviate ammonia poisoning. Decreasing the membrane thickness can also help to mitigate ammonia poisoning, but may lead to less uniform current distribution.

Load-bearing premise

The three-dimensional numerical model accurately captures the transport processes and underlying poisoning mechanism of ammonia impurities in PEM fuel cells.

Editorial extensions

If this is right

  • Higher operating temperatures reduce the performance loss caused by ammonia.
  • Higher operating humidity reduces the performance loss caused by ammonia.
  • Thinner membranes reduce the performance loss caused by ammonia but produce less uniform current distribution across the cell.

Reading between the lines

Editorial extensions of the paper, not claims the author makes directly.

  • Systems that generate hydrogen from ammonia may need to pair fuel cells with tighter impurity controls or adjusted operating set-points to preserve output.
  • The thickness-conductivity trade-off identified here suggests a design choice between poisoning tolerance and electrical uniformity that would appear in any scaled ammonia-hydrogen fuel-cell stack.
  • If the modeled conductivity drop is confirmed, real-time monitoring of local current density could serve as an early indicator of ammonia exposure in operating cells.
Share X Bluesky LinkedIn Reddit HN

Editorial analysis

A structured set of objections, weighed in public.

Desk editor's note, referee report, simulated authors' rebuttal, and a circularity audit.

Referee Report

1 major / 1 minor

Summary. The manuscript develops a three-dimensional numerical model of proton exchange membrane fuel cells (PEMFCs) incorporating ammonia impurities to investigate transport processes and the poisoning mechanism. It examines the effects of ammonia concentration, operating temperature, humidity, and membrane thickness on performance, analyzing distributions of proton conductivity, current density, and dissolved water content. The central claims are that ammonia substantially reduces proton conductivity in both the PEM and anode catalyst layer, thereby diminishing cell performance, while higher temperature, higher humidity, and decreased membrane thickness can mitigate the poisoning (with the latter potentially causing less uniform current distribution).

Significance. If the numerical model is shown to be accurate, the parametric results on conductivity reduction and mitigation strategies would be significant for PEMFC applications using ammonia-derived hydrogen, providing practical guidance on operating conditions to alleviate poisoning effects.

major comments (1)
  1. [Model description and validation] Model setup and validation (referenced in the methods and results sections): The central claims rest entirely on outputs from the 3D numerical model, yet no validation against experimental data, error analysis, or benchmark comparisons (e.g., ammonia-free polarization curves) is provided. This makes it impossible to assess whether the reported conductivity reductions and mitigation trends are physically reliable.
minor comments (1)
  1. [Abstract] The abstract states qualitative trends but omits the specific ammonia concentration range examined and any quantitative performance metrics (e.g., voltage loss percentages), which would improve clarity.

Simulated Author's Rebuttal

1 responses · 0 unresolved

We thank the referee for the constructive feedback. We address the single major comment below.

read point-by-point responses

  1. Referee: [Model description and validation] Model setup and validation (referenced in the methods and results sections): The central claims rest entirely on outputs from the 3D numerical model, yet no validation against experimental data, error analysis, or benchmark comparisons (e.g., ammonia-free polarization curves) is provided. This makes it impossible to assess whether the reported conductivity reductions and mitigation trends are physically reliable.

    Authors: We agree that explicit validation strengthens the manuscript. The model employs well-established governing equations for species, charge, and energy transport in PEMFCs, with ammonia effects incorporated via literature-derived conductivity correlations. However, the current version lacks direct benchmark comparisons. In the revised manuscript we will add polarization-curve comparisons against published experimental data for ammonia-free operation, include a quantitative error analysis, and discuss parameter uncertainty. These additions will allow readers to evaluate the physical reliability of the reported trends. revision: yes

Circularity Check

0 steps flagged · score 0.0 of 10

No significant circularity in derivation chain

full rationale

This is a forward 3D numerical modeling study that establishes governing transport equations, incorporates ammonia reaction kinetics, and runs simulations to obtain distributions of conductivity, current density, and water content. The abstract and description contain no fitted parameters renamed as predictions, no self-definitional loops, and no load-bearing self-citations that reduce the central claims to inputs by construction. The model's fidelity is an external assumption, not an internal circularity. Score remains at the low end of the normal range for simulation papers.

Assumptions & free parameters 0 free parameters · 1 assumptions · 0 invented entities

Only abstract available; no specific free parameters, axioms, or invented entities can be identified from the provided text.

assumptions (1)
  • domain assumption Assumptions in the 3D numerical model for ammonia transport and proton conductivity in PEM fuel cells
    Model is established to explore mechanism but details and validity not specified in abstract.

how reviews work

0 comments
Cite this review

Pith. "Pith review of Poisoning effect of ammonia on the performance and transport process of proton exchange membrane fuel cells." pith.science (2026). https://pith.science/paper/LJDGCZPN

@misc{pith2026260625992,
  author       = {Pith},
  title        = {Pith review of: Poisoning effect of ammonia on the performance and transport process of proton exchange membrane fuel cells},
  year         = {2026},
  howpublished = {\url{https://pith.science/paper/LJDGCZPN}},
  note         = {Machine review of arXiv:2606.25992}
}
read the original abstract

Ammonia is a high-density hydrogen energy carrier and can be decomposed to produce hydrogen for use in fuel cells. However, a significant challenge in ammonia-decomposition-based fuel cell applications is the unavoidable presence of trace ammonia impurity, which can poison the fuel cell, but the poisoning mechanism remains unclear. To address this, a three-dimensional numerical model of proton exchange membrane (PEM) fuel cells with ammonia impurities is established to explore the transport process and underlying poisoning mechanism. The influences of key factors, including ammonia concentration, operating temperature, operating humidity, and membrane thickness, are studied. The poisoning mechanism is analyzed from the perspectives of the distributions of proton conductivity, current density, and dissolved water content. The results show that ammonia diminishes the cell performance by substantially reducing the proton conductivity of both the PEM and the anode catalyst layer. Higher operating temperatures and higher operating humidity can alleviate ammonia poisoning. Decreasing the membrane thickness can also help to mitigate ammonia poisoning, but may lead to less uniform current distribution.

Discussion (0). Sign in to comment.

Reference graph

Works this paper leans on

44 extracted references

  1. [1]

    S. J. Peighambardoust, S. Rowshanzamir, M. Amjadi, Review of the proton exchange membranes for fuel cell applications, Int. J. Hydrogen Energy 35(17) (2010) 9349-9384

    2010

  2. [2]

    Hassan, I

    Q. Hassan, I. D. J. Azzawi, A. Z. Sameen, H. M. Salman, Hydrogen fuel cell vehicles: Opportunities and challenges, Sustainability 15(15) (2023) 11501

    2023

  3. [3]

    Singh, S

    S. Singh, S. Jain, V . Ps, A. K. Tiwari, M. R. Nouni, J. K. Pandey, S. Goel, Hydrogen: A sustainable fuel for future of the transport sector, Renew. Sustain. Energy Rev. 51 (2015) 623-633

    2015

  4. [4]

    M. O. Ozdemir, U. Pasaogullari, Modeling the oscillative behavior and carbon monoxide removal by current pulsing technique in H 2/CO mixtures for Pt catalyst layer, Int. J. Hydrogen Energy 41(25) (2016) 10854-10869

    2016

  5. [5]

    Sharma, S

    S. Sharma, S. K. Ghoshal, Hydrogen the future transportation fuel: From production to applications, Renew. Sustain. Energy Rev. 43 (2015) 1151-1158

    2015

  6. [6]

    M. S. Mikkola, T. Rockward, F. A. Uribe, B. S. Pivovar, The effect of NaCl in the cathode air stream on PEMFC performance, Fuel Cells 7(2) (2007) 153-158

    2007

  7. [7]

    M. Aziz, A. T. Wijayanta, A. B. D. Nandiyanto, Ammonia as effective hydrogen storage: A review on production, storage and utilization, Energies 13(12) (2020) 3062

    2020

  8. [8]

    Kojima, Hydrogen storage materials for hydrogen and energy carriers, Int

    Y . Kojima, Hydrogen storage materials for hydrogen and energy carriers, Int. J. Hydrogen Energy 44(33) (2019) 18179-18192

    2019

Show all 44 references
  1. [9]

    M. H. Hasan, T. M. I. Mahlia, M. Mofijur, I. M. Rizwanul Fattah, F. Handayani, H. C. Ong, A. S. Silitonga, A comprehensive review on the recent development of ammonia as a renewable energy carrier, Energies 14(13) (2021) 3732

    2021

  2. [10]

    M. R. Usman, Hydrogen storage methods: Review and current status, Renew. Sustain. Energy Rev. 167 (2022) 112743

    2022

  3. [11]

    Giddey, S

    S. Giddey, S. P. S. Badwal, C. Munnings, M. Dolan, Ammonia as a renewable energy transportation media, ACS Sustain. Chem. Eng. 5(11) (2017) 10231-10239

    2017

  4. [12]

    N. Ma, W. H. Zhao, W. Z. Wang, X. R. Li, H. Q. Zhou, Large scale of green hydrogen storage: Opportunities and challenges, Int. J. Hydrogen Energy 50 (2024) 379-396

    2024

  5. [13]

    Lucentini, X

    I. Lucentini, X. Garcia, X. Vendrell, J. Llorca, Review of the decomposition of ammonia to generate hydrogen, Ind. Eng. Chem. Res. 60(51) (2021) 18560-18611

    2021

  6. [14]

    Z. Du, C. Liu, J. Zhai, X. Guo, Y . Xiong, W. Su, G. He, A review of hydrogen purification technologies for fuel cell vehicles, Catalysts 11(3) (2021) 393. 20

    2021

  7. [15]

    St-Pierre, PEMFC contaminant tolerance limit - Foreign cations in ionomers, Int

    J. St-Pierre, PEMFC contaminant tolerance limit - Foreign cations in ionomers, Int. J. Hydrogen Energy 36(9) (2011) 5527-5535

    2011

  8. [16]

    Imamura, E

    D. Imamura, E. Yamaguchi, Effect of air contaminants on electrolyte degradation in polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cells, 9th Proton Exchange Membrane Fuel Cell Symposium (PEMFC) Conducted Under the Auspices of the 216th Meeting of the Electrochemical -Society- Inc, Vienna, ...

    2009

  9. [17]

    Huang, Z

    Y . Huang, Z. Zeng, T. Wang, Z. Che, Poisoning mechanism of ammonia on proton transport and ionomer structure in cathode catalyst layer of PEM fuel cells, Chem. Eng. J. 504 (2025) 158543

    2025

  10. [18]

    International Organization for Standardization, ISO 14687:2019: Hydrogen fuel quality — Product specification, Geneva, Switzerland, 2019

    2019

  11. [19]

    SAE International, SAE J2719_2020: Hydrogen fuel quality for fuel cell vehicles, Warrendale, PA, USA, 2020

    2020

  12. [20]

    K. Hu, D. Yang, Studies on the effects of NH3 in H2 and air on the performance of PEMFC, Energies 14(20) (2021) 6556

    2021

  13. [21]

    Y . A. Gomez, A. Oyarce, G. Lindbergh, C. Lagergren, Ammonia contamination of a proton exchange membrane fuel cell, J. Electrochem. Soc. 165(3) (2018) F189-F197

    2018

  14. [22]

    Rajalakshmi, T

    N. Rajalakshmi, T. T. Jayanth, K. S. Dhathathreyan, Effect of carbon dioxide and ammonia on polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cell stack performance, Fuel Cells 3(4) (2004) 177-180

    2004

  15. [23]

    F. A. Uribe, S. Gottesfeld, T. A. Zawodzinski, Effect of ammonia as potential fuel impurity on proton exchange membrane fuel cell performance, J. Electrochem. Soc. 149 (2002) A293-A296

    2002

  16. [24]

    Halseid, P

    R. Halseid, P. J. S. Vie, R. Tunold, Effect of ammonia on the performance of polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cells, J. Power Sources 154(2) (2006) 343-350

    2006

  17. [25]

    Zhang, U

    X. Zhang, U. Pasaogullari, T. Molter, Influence of ammonia on membrane-electrode assemblies in polymer electrolyte fuel cells, Int. J. Hydrogen Energy 34(22) (2009) 9188-9194

    2009

  18. [26]

    H. J. Soto, W. K. Lee, J. W. Van Zee, M. Murthy, Effect of transient ammonia concentrations on PEMFC performance, Electroch. Solid-State Lett. 6(7) (2003) A133-A135

    2003

  19. [27]

    Hongsirikarn, T

    K. Hongsirikarn, T. Napapruekchart, X. Mo, J. G. Goodwin, Effect of ammonium ion distribution on Nafion® conductivity, J. Power Sources 196(2) (2011) 644-651

    2011

  20. [28]

    Hongsirikarn, J

    K. Hongsirikarn, J. G. Goodwin, S. Greenway, S. Creager, Influence of ammonia on the conductivity of Nafion membranes, J. Power Sources 195(1) (2010) 30-38

    2010

  21. [29]

    Halseid, P

    R. Halseid, P. J. Vie, R. Tunold, Influence of ammonium on conductivity and water content of Nafion 117 membranes, J. Electrochem. Soc. 151(3) (2004) A381

    2004

  22. [30]

    Lopes, D

    T. Lopes, D. S. Kim, Y . S. Kim, F. H. Garzon, Ionic transport and water vapor uptake of ammonium exchanged perfluorosulfonic acid membranes, J. Electrochem. Soc. 159(3) (2012) B265-B269. 21

    2012

  23. [31]

    X. Wang, P. Baker, X. Zhang, H. F. Garces, L. J. Bonville, U. Pasaogullari, T. M. Molter, An experimental overview of the effects of hydrogen impurities on polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cell performance, Int. J. Hydrogen Energy 39(34) (2014) 19701-19713

    2014

  24. [32]

    Verdaguer-Casadevall, P

    A. Verdaguer-Casadevall, P. Hernandez-Fernandez, I. E. Stephens, I. Chorkendorff, S. Dahl, The effect of ammonia upon the electrocatalysis of hydrogen oxidation and oxygen reduction on polycrystalline platinum, J. Power Sources 220 (2012) 205-210

    2012

  25. [33]

    Lopes, J

    T. Lopes, J. Chlistunoff, J.-M. Sansinena, F. H. Garzon, Oxygen reduction reaction on a Pt/carbon fuel cell catalyst in the presence of trace quantities of ammonium ions: An RRDE study, Int. J. Hydrogen Energy 37(6) (2012) 5202-5207

    2012

  26. [34]

    Halseid, T

    R. Halseid, T. Bystroň, R. Tunold, Oxygen reduction on platinum in aqueous sulphuric acid in the presence of ammonium, Electrochim. Acta 51(13) (2006) 2737-2742

    2006

  27. [35]

    X.-Z. Yuan, H. Li, Y . Yu, M. Jiang, W. Qian, S. Zhang, H. Wang, S. Wessel, T. T. Cheng, Diagnosis of contamination introduced by ammonia at the cathode in a polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cell, Int. J. Hydrogen Energy 37(17) (2012) 12464-12473

    2012

  28. [36]

    Y . Jing, J. Tian, X. Cai, R. Lin, Evolution and mechanism of impedance in PEMFC induced by cathode ammonia contamination, Fuel 363 (2024) 130971

    2024

  29. [37]

    Isorna Llerena, A

    F. Isorna Llerena, A. de Las Heras Jiménez, E. López González, F. Segura Manzano, J. M. Andújar Márquez, Effects of ammonia impurities on the hydrogen flow in high and low temperature polymer electrolyte fuel cells, Fuel Cells 19(6) (2019) 651-662

    2019

  30. [38]

    Huang, Z

    Y . Huang, Z. Zeng, R. Chen, T. Wang, Z. Che, Molecular dynamics study of ammonia poisoning in proton exchange membrane with electric field, J. Power Sources 663 (2026) 238870

    2026

  31. [39]

    Sachse, A

    D. Sachse, A. Glüsen, K. Wippermann, M. Müller, U. Rau, R. Peters, The ammonia adsorption and desorption behavior of Nafion, Membranes 15(5) (2025) 149

    2025

  32. [40]

    Y . Jing, Y . Ma, W. Ji, X. Cai, R. Lin, Spatial characteristics of local current density distribution and the impact of relative humidity during airborne ammonia contaminates PEMFC, Int. J. Hydrogen Energy 83 (2024) 246-256

    2024

  33. [41]

    T. Han, L. Xu, X. Zhang, Y . Zhao, J. Su, Z. Hu, J. Li, O. Minggao, Study on the influence of anode ammonia impurities on proton exchange membrane fuel cell performance, J. Electrochem. Soc. 172(3) (2025) 034501

    2025

  34. [42]

    Pourrahmani, M

    H. Pourrahmani, M. Siavashi, A. Yavarinasab, M. Matian, N. Chitgar, L. Wang, J. Van herle, A review on the long-term performance of proton exchange membrane fuel cells: from degradation modeling to the effects of bipolar plates, sealings, and contaminants, Energies 15(14) (2022) 5081

    2022

  35. [43]

    Pisani, M

    L. Pisani, M. Valentini, D. H. Hofmann, L. N. Kuleshova, B. D'Aguanno, An analytical model for the conductivity of polymeric sulfonated membranes, Solid State Ion. 179(13-14) (2008) 465- 476

    2008

  36. [44]

    Halseid, J

    R. Halseid, J. S. Wainright, R. F. Savinell, R. Tunold, Oxidation of ammonium on platinum in acidic solutions, J. Electrochem. Soc. 154(2) (2007) B263-B270

    2007

Pith tools

Reviewed June 25, 2026 · model on record in the stance chip above.