Performance test and degradation analysis of direct methanol fuel cell membrane electrode assembly during freeze/thaw cycles

▶ The performance test of DMFC MEAs during freeze/thaw cycling was investigated. ▶ Degradation mechanisms of the post-mortem MEAs were discovered. ▶ Microstructural damage was the major disadvantage to drop the cell performance. ▶ A strategy was designed to prevent the membrane from broken. ▶ The methanol solution inside the DMFC stack was forbidden to be frozen.