Carbon-based porous electrodes are of particular interest for electrochemical energy conversion devices, such as fuel cells and electrolyzers. These catalyst layer electrodes are formed by coating a thin liquid film on a substrate and then drying it to form the porous electrode. During the drying process, the liquid receding through the particle matrix leads to the development of stresses, which when large enough, cause the film to crack. In fuel cells, cracks in the catalyst layer (CL) negatively impact its electrochemical performance and membrane-electrode-assembly durability. Although mitigation of this physical phenomena is of significant importance, the interaction- and process-driven parameters that govern cracks – such as ink composition, mixing method, and coating techniques – are poorly understood. Herein, we investigate the effects of polymeric additives on platinum on carbon (Pt/C) cathode CL crack formation. Small quantities of polymeric additives – which account for < 1% of total ink composition – are inserted to water- and n-propanol-predominant formulations prior to the final mixing stage. Rod-coated samples with estimated Pt loadings of 0.280 mg/cm2 show no signs of surface cracks for water-rich CLs, whereas the area occupied by these defects is reduced up to 55% in alcohol-rich gas diffusion electrodes (GDEs). In-situ electrochemical performance and durability tests are incorporated to assess the impact of these polymeric additives in nearly crack-free coatings against their cracked, nonadditive GDE counterparts. Figure 1