Han Liu, Xinhui Wang, Kejie Lao, Linrui Wen, Meiquan Huang, Jiawei Liu, Tian Hu, Bo Hu, Shunji Xie, Shuirong Li, Xiaoliang Fang, Nanfeng Zheng, Hua Bing Tao
The high cost of PEMWE originates from the usage of precious materials, insufficient efficiency and lifetime. In this work, we identified an important degradation mechanism of PEMWE caused by dynamics of ionomers over time in anode catalyst layer (ACL), which is a purely mechanical degradation of microstructure. Contrary to conventional understanding that the microstructure of ACL is static, the micropores are inclined to be occupied by ionomers due to the localized swelling/creep/migration, especially near the ACL/PTL (porous transport layer) interface, where they form transport channels of reactant/product couples...
April 25, 2024: Advanced Materials