A simple and effective catalyst recovery protocol for H2-PEMFCs
Catalyst degradation in the cathode electrode for H2-PEM (hydrogen proton-exchange membrane) fuel cells is a crucial topic to tackle to achieve high durability and efficiency. Despite ongoing research, a concurrently fast, easy-to-adapt, and effective recovery protocol is still missing. In this stud...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Elsevier
2025-07-01
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| Series: | Electrochemistry Communications |
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| Online Access: | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1388248125000682 |
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| author | Marc Ayoub Rohit Rajendran Menon Simon Thiele Matthew Brodt |
| author_facet | Marc Ayoub Rohit Rajendran Menon Simon Thiele Matthew Brodt |
| author_sort | Marc Ayoub |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Catalyst degradation in the cathode electrode for H2-PEM (hydrogen proton-exchange membrane) fuel cells is a crucial topic to tackle to achieve high durability and efficiency. Despite ongoing research, a concurrently fast, easy-to-adapt, and effective recovery protocol is still missing. In this study, we report a fast and easy-to-adapt recovery protocol that significantly mitigates the negative effects associated with catalyst degradation for the cathode electrode in H2-PEMFCs. Following accelerated stress tests (AST) of 30,000-cycles, membrane-electrode assemblies (MEAs) using our new recovery protocol exhibit remarkable higher end-of-life performance compared to similar MEAs subjected to the same AST but utilizing the DOE-defined recovery protocol. The end-of-life differences for the new recovery protocol are over 100 % increase in power density at 0.6 V and around 26 % increase at peak power density. By analyzing performance, the Tafel slope, the electrochemical surface area (ECSA), and impedance data, the improvements are traced back to better catalyst recovery and thus improved performance at end-of-life. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-e653859c004d4d7fbaa0d1f278611a02 |
| institution | OA Journals |
| issn | 1388-2481 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-07-01 |
| publisher | Elsevier |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Electrochemistry Communications |
| spelling | doaj-art-e653859c004d4d7fbaa0d1f278611a022025-08-20T02:01:51ZengElsevierElectrochemistry Communications1388-24812025-07-0117610792910.1016/j.elecom.2025.107929A simple and effective catalyst recovery protocol for H2-PEMFCsMarc Ayoub0Rohit Rajendran Menon1Simon Thiele2Matthew Brodt3Helmholtz-Institute Erlangen-Nürnberg for Renewable Energy (IET-2), Forschungszentrum Jülich, Cauerstr. 1, 91058 Erlangen, Germany; Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering, Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg, Cauerstr. 1, 91058 Erlangen, GermanyHelmholtz-Institute Erlangen-Nürnberg for Renewable Energy (IET-2), Forschungszentrum Jülich, Cauerstr. 1, 91058 Erlangen, Germany; Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering, Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg, Cauerstr. 1, 91058 Erlangen, GermanyHelmholtz-Institute Erlangen-Nürnberg for Renewable Energy (IET-2), Forschungszentrum Jülich, Cauerstr. 1, 91058 Erlangen, Germany; Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering, Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg, Cauerstr. 1, 91058 Erlangen, GermanyHelmholtz-Institute Erlangen-Nürnberg for Renewable Energy (IET-2), Forschungszentrum Jülich, Cauerstr. 1, 91058 Erlangen, Germany; Corresponding author.Catalyst degradation in the cathode electrode for H2-PEM (hydrogen proton-exchange membrane) fuel cells is a crucial topic to tackle to achieve high durability and efficiency. Despite ongoing research, a concurrently fast, easy-to-adapt, and effective recovery protocol is still missing. In this study, we report a fast and easy-to-adapt recovery protocol that significantly mitigates the negative effects associated with catalyst degradation for the cathode electrode in H2-PEMFCs. Following accelerated stress tests (AST) of 30,000-cycles, membrane-electrode assemblies (MEAs) using our new recovery protocol exhibit remarkable higher end-of-life performance compared to similar MEAs subjected to the same AST but utilizing the DOE-defined recovery protocol. The end-of-life differences for the new recovery protocol are over 100 % increase in power density at 0.6 V and around 26 % increase at peak power density. By analyzing performance, the Tafel slope, the electrochemical surface area (ECSA), and impedance data, the improvements are traced back to better catalyst recovery and thus improved performance at end-of-life.http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1388248125000682Fuel cellsDurabilityRecoveryDegradation |
| spellingShingle | Marc Ayoub Rohit Rajendran Menon Simon Thiele Matthew Brodt A simple and effective catalyst recovery protocol for H2-PEMFCs Electrochemistry Communications Fuel cells Durability Recovery Degradation |
| title | A simple and effective catalyst recovery protocol for H2-PEMFCs |
| title_full | A simple and effective catalyst recovery protocol for H2-PEMFCs |
| title_fullStr | A simple and effective catalyst recovery protocol for H2-PEMFCs |
| title_full_unstemmed | A simple and effective catalyst recovery protocol for H2-PEMFCs |
| title_short | A simple and effective catalyst recovery protocol for H2-PEMFCs |
| title_sort | simple and effective catalyst recovery protocol for h2 pemfcs |
| topic | Fuel cells Durability Recovery Degradation |
| url | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1388248125000682 |
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