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Analysis of institutional authors

Meca, Vladimir LCorresponding AuthorPosada, ElenaAuthorVillalba-Herreros, AntonioAuthorD’amore-Domenech, RafaelAuthorLeo, Teresa JAuthor

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October 7, 2025
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Impact of the Anode Serpentine Channel Depth on the Performance of a Methanol Electrolysis Cell

Publicated to: Hydrogen. 6 (3): 51- - 2025-07-19 6(3), DOI: 10.3390/hydrogen6030051

Authors:

Meca, Vladimir L; Posada, Elena; Villalba-Herreros, Antonio; d'Amore-Domenech, Rafael; Leo, Teresa J; Santiago, Oscar
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Affiliations

Univ Bremen, Ctr Environm Res & Sustainable Technol UFT, Res Grp Environm Proc Engn, Leobener Str 6, D-28359 Bremen, Germany - Author
Univ Politecn Madrid, Dept Arquitectura Construcc & Sistemas Ocean & Nav, ETSI Navales, Ave Memoria 4, Madrid 28040, Spain - Author
Univ Politecn Madrid, Grp Invest UPM Pilas Combustible, Tecnol Hidrogeno & Motores Alternat PICOHIMA, ETSI Navales, Ave Memoria 4, Madrid 28040, Spain - Author
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Abstract

This work addresses for the first time the effect of anode serpentine channel depth on Methanol Electrolysis Cells (MECs) and Direct Methanol Fuel Cells (DMFCs) for improving performance of both devices. Anode plates with serpentine flow fields of 0.5 mm, 1.0 mm and 1.5 mm depths are designed and tested in single-cells to compare their behaviour. Performance was evaluated through methanol crossover, polarization and power density curves. Results suggest shallower channels enhance mass transfer efficiency reducing MEC energy consumption for hydrogen production at 40 mA center dot cm-2 by 4.2%, but increasing methanol crossover by 30.3%. The findings of this study indicate 1.0 mm is the best depth among those studied for a MEC with 16 cm2 of active area, while 0.5 mm is the best for a DMFC with the same area with an increase in peak power density of 14.2%. The difference in results for both devices is attributed to higher CO2 production in the MEC due to its higher current density operation. This increased CO2 production alters anode two-phase flow, partially hindering the methanol oxidation reaction with shallower channels. These findings underscore the critical role of channel depth in the efficiency of both MEC and DMFC single-cells.
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Keywords

Anode flow fieldAnode flow field designAnodesAqueous-methanolChallengesChannel depthDirect methanol fuel cells (dmfc)Direct-methanol fuel cellsDmfcEfficient hydrogen-productionElectrolyserElectrolysersElectrolysisElectrolysis cellElectrolytic cellsEnergy efficiencyEnergy utilizationFlow-field designFuel cellFuel-cellGas bubble behaviorHydrogen productionMass transferMethanolMethanol fuelsPem electrolyzerPowerSerpentineSerpentine flow fieldsSingle serpentine flow fieldSingle serpentinesStackTwo phase flow

Quality index

Bibliometric impact. Analysis of the contribution and dissemination channel

The work has been published in the journal Hydrogen due to its progression and the good impact it has achieved in recent years, according to the agency Scopus (SJR), it has become a reference in its field. In the year of publication of the work, 2025, it was in position , thus managing to position itself as a Q2 (Segundo Cuartil), in the category Engineering (Miscellaneous). Notably, the journal is positioned en el Cuartil Q3 for the agency WoS (JCR) in the category Chemistry, Physical.

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Impact and social visibility

From the perspective of influence or social adoption, and based on metrics associated with mentions and interactions provided by agencies specializing in calculating the so-called "Alternative or Social Metrics," we can highlight as of 2026-04-25:

  • The use, from an academic perspective evidenced by the Altmetric agency indicator referring to aggregations made by the personal bibliographic manager Mendeley, gives us a total of: 5.
  • The use of this contribution in bookmarks, code forks, additions to favorite lists for recurrent reading, as well as general views, indicates that someone is using the publication as a basis for their current work. This may be a notable indicator of future more formal and academic citations. This claim is supported by the result of the "Capture" indicator, which yields a total of: 5 (PlumX).

With a more dissemination-oriented intent and targeting more general audiences, we can observe other more global scores such as:

  • The Total Score from Altmetric: 2.
  • The number of mentions on the social network X (formerly Twitter): 1 (Altmetric).

It is essential to present evidence supporting full alignment with institutional principles and guidelines on Open Science and the Conservation and Dissemination of Intellectual Heritage. A clear example of this is:

  • The work has been submitted to a journal whose editorial policy allows open Open Access publication.
  • Assignment of a Handle/URN as an identifier within the deposit in the Institutional Repository: https://oa.upm.es/90860/

As a result of the publication of the work in the institutional repository, statistical usage data has been obtained that reflects its impact. In terms of dissemination, we can state that, as of

  • Views: 82
  • Downloads: 41
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Leadership analysis of institutional authors

This work has been carried out with international collaboration, specifically with researchers from: Germany.

There is a significant leadership presence as some of the institution’s authors appear as the first or last signer, detailed as follows: First Author (MECA LOPEZ, VLADIMIR LUIS) .

the author responsible for correspondence tasks has been MECA LOPEZ, VLADIMIR LUIS.

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Project objectives

El presente estudio tiene como objetivos principales analizar el efecto de la profundidad del canal serpentino en el ánodo sobre el rendimiento de celdas de electrólisis de metanol (MEC) y pilas de combustible de metanol directo (DMFC); diseñar y evaluar placas de ánodo con canales de 0.5 mm, 1.0 mm y 1.5 mm de profundidad en celdas individuales; comparar el comportamiento mediante curvas de polarización, densidad de potencia y cruce de metanol; determinar la profundidad óptima del canal para maximizar la eficiencia y minimizar el consumo energético en MEC y DMFC; y caracterizar cómo la producción de CO2 y el flujo bifásico afectan la reacción de oxidación del metanol en función de la profundidad del canal.
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Most relevant results

El estudio analiza el impacto de la profundidad del canal serpenteante en el ánodo sobre el rendimiento de celdas de electrólisis de metanol (MEC) y pilas de combustible de metanol directo (DMFC). Los resultados principales son: (1) canales más superficiales mejoran la eficiencia de transferencia de masa, reduciendo el consumo energético en MEC a 40 mA·cm⁻² en un 4,2%, pero incrementan el cruce de metanol en un 30,3%; (2) una profundidad de 1,0 mm es óptima para MEC con área activa de 16 cm²; (3) para DMFC con igual área, 0,5 mm es la mejor profundidad, aumentando la densidad máxima de potencia en un 14,2%; (4) la mayor producción de CO₂ en MEC afecta el flujo bifásico del ánodo, limitando la reacción de oxidación en canales superficiales.
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Awards linked to the item

This work has been carried out thanks to the Project GreenH2CM funded by MCIN/AEI/10.13039/501100011033, by "NextGenerationEU/PRTR" and the Regional Government of Madrid and to the Grant PID2021-124263OB-I00 funded by MCIN/AEI/10.13039/501100011033 and by "ERDF a way of making Europe".
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