Comparison of Carbon Corrosion Test Methods for Polymer Electrolyte Fuel Cell

The membrane electrode assembly (MEA) durability test protocols proposed by the FCCJ, USFCC and DOE in 2007 for estimating the carbon support corrosion of Pt/C catalyst were compared. The MEA durability tests were performed using JARI's standard single cell. From the results, ECA of the cathode decreased most rapidly by the FCCJ protocol because of the highest potential applied to the cathode. In order to understand the difference in degradation rate of each protocol, we investigated the effects of the dew point of the gas supplied to the cathode and the cycled potential on the carbon corrosion rate. It was shown that the carbon corrosion rate became large when the cathode potential was cycled and the gas supplied to the cathode had a high dew point. These results support the effectiveness of the revision of the FCCJ protocol in 2011.