Screening reversal tolerance through rotating disc electrode studies

Abstract

Anode reversal is a detrimental phenomenon that occurs in proton exchange membrane fuel cells (PEMFCs) when the anode is subject to fuel starvation, leading to irreversible damage. This is a critical issue for the commercialization of PEMFCs. However, the development of more robust anode catalysts has been limited by the need for membrane electrode assembly (MEA)-level testing, which is costly and time-consuming. Here, we propose two accelerated stress test (AST) protocols based on widely available rotating disc electrode (RDE) methods to determine their suitability for screening anode catalysts and predicting MEA-level durability. One method is based on a carbon corrosion (cc) voltage cycling protocol between 1.0 and 1.5 V vs. RHE, while the other is a chronopotentiometry (cp) method. We evaluate three model catalysts (Pt30, Pt50, and Pt70) at the MEA-level through standard reversal testing and at the RDE-level using the two AST protocols (RDE-cc and RDE-cp). We find that both RDE-level methods can reliably predict MEA-level anode durability, and can be used by materials scientists to screen the relative durability of new anode catalysts. Our results also suggest Pt70 is a promising candidate for anode reversal tolerant PEMFCs, as it shows superior durability under both MEA-level and RDE-level tests.