Activation procedures characterization of MEA based on phosphoric acid doped PBI membranes

It is accepted that the humidification of the reactants is not necessary for high temperature PEMFC based on phosphoric acid doped PBI membrane, since water production at the cathode should be enough to ensure high performance of the fuel cell. In this work it is described the behavior of a PEMFC based on an in-house prepared MEA, after activation at different temperatures and relative humidities. It is shown that water has an enhanced effect on ohmic resistance during the PEMFC operation but can also have a detrimental effect on the cathode resistance due to migration of phosphoric acid outside MEA.