Abstract
We reported that the membrane electrode assembly (MEA) using a hydrophilic micro porous layer (MPL) showed much better performance in a wide range of pressure and humidity conditions than that using a hydrophobic MPL. When operating an MEA, it usually needs to be humidified in order to maintain conductivity of the membrane. However, operation without humidification is critical to the commercialization of polymer electrolyte fuel cells (PEFCs) for backup power and automotive applications. We, therefore, evaluated MEAs at 60 ºC, at the H2/air stoichiometric ratio of 1.4/5.0, without humidification, in addition to the normal conditions of 80 ºC, 100 & 30 %RH. We found that the MEA employing a Gas Diffusion Electrode (GDE) method on the hydrophilic MPL showed the best performance under a very dry condition, suggesting the importance of the interface between the cathode and the MPL.
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