Influence of the microporous layer on carbon corrosion in the catalyst layer of a polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cell

Corrosion of the catalyst support reduces PEM fuel cell performance via catalyst layer (CL) degradation (loss of porosity, catalyst connectivity, and active catalyst surface area). Carbon corrosion was investigated in a segmented cell for cathode gas diffusion layers (GDLs) with and without a microporous layer (MPL) to investigate the spatial aspects of GDL effect on corrosion. The cells were aged in situ using an accelerated stress test (AST) for carbon-support corrosion consisting of consecutive holds at 1.3 V. Carbon corrosion was quantified by measuring CO2 evolution during the AST. Performance degradation was substantial both with and without cathode MPL, but the degradation of the CL after prolonged corrosion was lower in the presence of an MPL. This was corroborated by better cell performance, higher remaining Pt active area, lower kinetic losses and smaller Pt particle size. The cell with an MPL showed increasingly nonuniform current distribution with corrosion time, which is correlated to the distribution of the Pt particle growth across the active area. This cell also showed an increase in mass-transport resistance due to MPL degradation. Without an MPL, GDL carbon fibers caused localized thinning in the cathode CL, originating from the combined effects of compression and corrosion. (C) 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.