Interfacial engineering for enhancing durability of polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cell

Abstract

As the importance of durability issues for the commercialization of polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cell increases, not only the individual durability of materials such as catalysts, membranes, and ionomers but also the characterization of the interfaces they from and the understanding of degradation mechanisms become crucial. In this study, we focused on the platinum dissolution at the platinum catalyst interface in polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cell. By exploiting the differences in dissolution characteristics depending on the surface facets of platinum, the concept and effectiveness of a selective protective layer to protect vulnerable facets prone to dissolution were proposed and validated. Additionally, to observe the degradation phenomenon occurring at the interface between the ionomer and platinum, an electrode mimicking the ionomer/platinum interface was fabricated. The degradation behavior was investigated, and its impact on oxygen transport properties was demonstrated in a membrane electrode assembly level under the same degradation behaviors.