Membrane degradation is a severe factor limiting the lifetime of polymer electrolyte fuel cells. Therefore, obtaining a deeper knowledge is fundamental in order to establish fuel cells as competitive product. A segmented single cell was operated under open circuit voltage with alternating relative humidity. The influence of the catalyst layer on membrane degradation was evaluated by measuring a...

Regenerative Fuel Cell (RFC) systems are used for the enhancement of sustainable energy aspect in conventional fuel cells. In this study, a photovoltaic-electrolyzer-fuel cell integrated cycle has been presented. The proposed system has been designed as a novel approach for alleviating the restrictions  on energy streams in the RFC systems. Modeling of the system has been performed from the mas...

Polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cells (PEMFCs) are energy conversion devices that produce electricity from a supply of fuel, such as hydrogen. One of the major challenges in achieving efficient energy conversion is the development of cost-effective materials that can act as electrocatalysts for PEMFCs. In this letter, we demonstrate that, instead of conventional noble metals, such as platinum...

Degradation of the Nafion electrolyte in Proton Exchange Membrane Fuel Cells (PEMFCs) limits the lifetime, motivating development of materials that resist degradation. The mechanism for degradation of Nafion under fuel cell conditions remains uncertain. Studies of Nafion degradation in concentrated OH environments, such as Fenton or vapor HOOH tests, show that the main chain significantly degra...