Durability degradation mechanism and consistency analysis for proton exchange membrane fuel cell stack

The durability is one of the crucial factors for commercial application in proton exchange membrane fuel cell (PEMFC) stack. In this work, a 3-cells PEMFC stack had been designed and operated over a durability test of 1600 h, the durability degradation mechanism of the PEMFC stack and performance consistency (mainly involving voltage degradation) of the membrane electrode assembly (MEA) had been analyzed in depth. The result showed the voltage degradation rates of the PEMFC stack were 12.2% and 52.2 uV h(-1) at 1000 mA cm(-2) after a durability test of 1600 h. Performance behaviors of different regions of MEA were different after the durability test. It was proved that the reasons for the performance degradation of the PEMFC stack could be ascribed to the loss and agglomeration of catalyst and structural damage (mainly involving membrane and catalyst layer) of MEA. Moreover, the performance degradation of the PEMFC stack in different stages was caused by different reasons. The early performance degradation for the PEMFC stack was mainly due to the loss and agglomeration of catalyst, and the later performance degradation was mainly caused by structural damage of MEA. This work will be of great potential to promote the development of the PEMFC stack in automotive applications.

Automated summary

The durability of the proton exchange membrane fuel cell (PEMFC) stack is crucial for commercial applications. This study analyzed the degradation mechanism and performance consistency of a 3-cell PEMFC stack after a 1600-hour durability test. The voltage degradation rates were found to be 12.2% and 52.2 uV h(-1) at a current density of 1000 mA cm(-2). The performance degradation was attributed to catalyst loss and agglomeration, as well as structural damage to the membrane and catalyst layer. The findings have great potential for promoting the development of PEMFC stacks in automotive applications.