Carbon Corrosion in Polymer Electrolyte Fuel Cells: A Complex Interplay between Morphological Changes and Electrochemical Performance

Journal Article · Fri Oct 01 00:00:00 EDT 2021 · Meeting abstracts (Electrochemical Society. Online)

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1149/ma2021-02461957mtgabs· OSTI ID:1887195

Khedekar, Kaustubh  ^[1]; Saha, Prantik  ^[2]; Wang, Hanson ^[1]; Huang, Ying  ^[2]; Stewart, Sarah ^[3]; Kuppan, Saravanan  ^[3]; Braaton, Jonathan ^[3]; Tamura, Nobumichi ^[4]; Atanassov, Plamen ^[1]; Cheng, Lei ^[3]; Johnston, Christina ^[3]; Zenyuk, Iryna V.  ^[1]

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1. Univ. of California, Irvine, CA (United States)
2. Univ. of California, Irvine, CA (United States). Advanced Power and Energy Program
3. Robert Bosch LLC, Sunnyvale, CA (United States)
4. Lawrence Berkeley National Lab. (LBNL), Berkeley, CA (United States)

Due to the high gravimetric energy density of hydrogen, the focus of implementation of polymer electrolyte fuel cells (PEFCs) has shifted from light duty passenger vehicles to heavy duty vehicles such as buses, trucks, locomotives and marine vessels. A mechanistic understanding of degradation is therefore necessary to improve durability and efficiency. During start-up and shut-down (SUSD) of PEFC systems, the catalyst (Pt nanoparticles embedded on carbon support) undergoes local potentials ~ 1 - 1.5 V caused by a combination of fuel (H₂) starvation, mixed fuel region and cell reversal. This leads to a series of degradation phenomenon including reduction in cathode catalyst layer (cCL) thickness and porosity, loss in electrochemical surface area (ECSA), ionomer degradation and loss in electrical contact, therefore resulting in severe performance loss. The convoluted relationship between these individual degradation mechanisms, their chronology and their effects on electrochemical performance are yet unresolved. Here, the complex interplay between morphological changes due to carbon corrosion and its effects on the electrochemical performance were analyzed using a combination of detailed electrochemical characterization, spectroscopy, and electron microscopy techniques.

• Research Organization: Lawrence Berkeley National Lab. (LBNL), Berkeley, CA (United States)
• Sponsoring Organization: USDOE Office of Science (SC), Basic Energy Sciences (BES). Scientific User Facilities Division
• Grant/Contract Number: AC02-05CH11231
• OSTI ID: 1887195
• Journal Information: Meeting abstracts (Electrochemical Society. Online), Vol. MA2021-02, Issue 46; ISSN 2151-2043
• Publisher: Electrochemical Society
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

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