Chloride contamination effects on proton exchange membrane fuel cell performance and durability

► We conducted the contamination tests by injecting ppm levels of chloride contained contaminant into the fuel cell from either the anode or the cathode. An initial sudden drop followed by a plateau of the cell voltage was observed during the tests, regardless cathode or anode side injection. In situ and ex situ diagnosis indicated that the drop in cell performance is predominantly due to the increased cathode charge transfer resistance as a result of the electrochemical catalyst surface area (ECSA) loss.