Effect of Addition of AB(2)-Type Hydrogen Storage Alloy into the Anode Catalyst Layer on the PEMFC Performance

Transition-metal oxides had been utilized as a water adsorbent to improve the wettability of the anode in proton exchange membrane fuel cells (PEMFCs) for many years. Nevertheless, the high electrical resistance of the metal oxides limits the content that can be added to the electrode. In this study, the feasibility of adding an AB(2)-type hydrogen storage alloy (HSA) into the anode catalyst layer to improve the cell performance of PEMFCs was investigated. The wettability of the catalyst layer upon adding the AB(2)-type HSA to the anode and the internal resistance of single cell were also evaluated. The experimental results indicate that the wettability of the catalyst layers with ground AB(2)-type HSA addition was superior to that with as-received AB(2)-type HSA, reflected from the water contact angle of the catalyst layers that decreases as the weight fraction of the AB(2)-type HSA increases. The cell with 10% ground AB(2)-type HSA addition in the anode catalyst layer exhibits the best performance in which the anode humidifier temperature ranges from 30 to 70 degrees C. (C) 2010 The Electrochemical Society. [DOI: 10.1149/1.3489367] All rights reserved.