Impact of catalyst support impurities on chemical degradation in polymer electrolyte membranes

Tools

Nakamura, S. and Sanami, K. and Fukaya, N. and Gautama, Z. and Noda, Z. and Yasutake, M. and Lyth, S.M. and Nishihara, M. and Sasaki, K. (2026) Impact of catalyst support impurities on chemical degradation in polymer electrolyte membranes. International Journal of Hydrogen Energy, 204. 153188. ISSN 0360-3199 (https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijhydene.2025.153188)

[thumbnail of Nakamura-etal-2025-Impact-of-catalyst-support-impurities-on-chemical-degradation]
Preview
 Text. Filename: Nakamura-etal-2025-Impact-of-catalyst-support-impurities-on-chemical-degradation.pdf
Final Published Version
License: Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 logo
Download (8MB)| Preview

Abstract

This study investigates the effect of iron and magnesium impurities present in carbon-based catalyst supports on the chemical degradation of polymer electrolyte membranes (PEMs) in polymer electrolyte fuel cells (PEFCs). A strong linear correlation is found between the iron content on the carbon surface and the degree of membrane thinning after 100-h open circuit voltage (OCV) holding tests, while membrane thinning is depressed by acid treatment. In contrast, magnesium impurities have no significant effect on membrane thinning, but Mg2+ ions cause an increase in ohmic resistance. These findings highlight the critical role of surface Fe impurities in the chemical degradation of PEMs and thereby the durability of PEFCs, as well as the role of Mg in decreasing the ionic conductivity. They also clearly demonstrate that acid treatment of the carbon support is effective in mitigating these modes of degradation, paving the way for the design of more durable PEFCs.

ORCID iDs

Nakamura, S., Sanami, K., Fukaya, N., Gautama, Z., Noda, Z., Yasutake, M., Lyth, S.M. ORCID logoORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9563-867X, Nishihara, M. and Sasaki, K.;
CORE (COnnecting REpositories)