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 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.