Investigation of dynamic driving cycle effect on the degradation of proton exchange membrane fuel cell by segmented cell technology

• The effect of driving cycles on the performance of fuel cell was evaluated.
• Segmented fuel cell was used to record the local changes of the current density.
• Mass transport of gases and water could be deduced from the distribution of current densities in different regions.
• Degradation of catalyst layer and Pt particle after driving cycles.
• EDS was adopt to investigate each segment's Pt distribution.

Durability is one of the most important limiting factors for the commercialization of proton exchange membrane fuel cell (PEMFC). Fuel cells are more vulnerable to degradation under operating conditions as dynamic load cycle or start up/shut down. The purpose of this study is to evaluate influences of driving cycles on the durability of fuel cells through analyzing the degradation mechanism of a segmented cell in real time. This study demonstrates that the performance of the fuel cell significantly decreases after 200 cycles. The segmented cell technology is used to measure the local current density distribution, which shows that the current density at the exit region and the inlet region declines much faster than the other parts. Meanwhile, electro-chemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) reveals that after 200 cycles the ohmic resistance of fuel cell increases, especially at the cathode, and electro-chemical surface area (ESA) decreases from 392 to 307 cm2 mg−1. Furthermore, scanning electron microscopy (SEM) images of the membrane–electrode assembly (MEA) in cross-section demonstrate crackle flaw on the surface of the catalyst layer and the delamination of the electrodes from the membrane. Transmission electron microscope (TEM) results also show that the Pt particle size increases distinctly after driving cycles.