Observation of a Polymer Electrolyte Membrane Fuel Cell Degradation Under Dynamic Load Cycling

Choi, Eugene; Moss, Jennifer Ashley

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Observation of a Polymer Electrolyte Membrane Fuel Cell Degradation Under Dynamic Load Cycling

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The loss in the performance during the fuel cell operation, such as lack of durability, is closely related to the degradation of membrane and catalyst of the cell. Operation under dynamic load cycling is known to enhance the degradation for various reasons. In this project, a polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cell (PEMFC) made of Nafion 112 membrane was used for experiments to observe the response of fuel cell performance while cycling the load between 0.54 A/cm2 (0.63V) and 0.02A/cm2 (0.88V). The performance degradation was analyzed using four methods: polarization curve, impedance spectroscopy, ion chromatography and TEM. The results demonstrate the gradual degradation of membrane, with overall voltage loss by 48% for the low current condition.

This report represents the work of one or more WPI undergraduate students submitted to the faculty as evidence of completion of a degree requirement. WPI routinely publishes these reports on its website without editorial or peer review.

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