A Strategy for Enhancing the Durability of Both Anode and Cathode Under Fuel Starvation Cycles

A polymer electrolyte fuel cell (PEFC) system is one of the power sources of mobility such as automobiles, ships, and railroads that are in the spotlight. Since PEFC can operate at low temperatures, one of its strengths is its fast response speed to the rapidly changing output of mobilities. However, various degadation conditions of the PEFC may be formed in various operating conditions of these mobilities. In particular, several studies have been conducted on the reverse voltage phenomenon of PEFC due to hydrogen starvation, and the introduction of reversal tolerant anode (RTA) has sought to improve durability under reverse voltage conditions. However, during the reverse voltage cycle, cathode degradation was also observed, and we sought to find the cause. Therefore, in this conference, we would like to identify the cause of the aforementioned phenomenon and present a strategy to improve the durability of the cathode.