| Title: |
Degradation of Fuel Cell Membrane Electrode Assemblies from Buses Operated More than 25,000 h |
| Authors: |
Srivastav, Harsh; Dizon, Arthur; Amichi, Lynda; Perry, Mike L; Sadhakkathullahil, Ali Aboobaker; Lau, Grace; Weiss, Catherine M; Florey, Brice; Kushner, Douglas I; Wilson, Matthew; Cullen, Dave A; Gorman, Mike; Radke, Clayton J; Weber, Adam Z; Mukundan, Rangachary |
| Source: |
Journal of The Electrochemical Society, vol 172, iss 7 |
| Publisher Information: |
eScholarship, University of California |
| Publication Year: |
2025 |
| Collection: |
University of California: eScholarship |
| Subject Terms: |
40 Engineering (for-2020); 4016 Materials Engineering (for-2020); fuel cells - PEM; electrode kinetics; energy conversion; 0303 Macromolecular and Materials Chemistry (for); 0306 Physical Chemistry (incl. Structural) (for); 0912 Materials Engineering (for); Energy (science-metrix); 3406 Physical chemistry (for-2020) |
| Description: |
This study investigates the performance losses and degradation of proton-exchange-membrane fuel-cell stacks taken from the Alameda Contra Costa Transit District (AC Transit) bus system (Alameda and Contra Costa counties, California, United States) that were operated for over 25,000 h. Here, we focus on the origin of differences in electrochemical performance between beginning-of-life (BOL) and end-of-life states as well as diagnostic data acquired during the lifetime of the buses. In doing so, we employ in- and ex- situ characterization methods such as polarization curves, electrochemical impedance spectroscopy, electron microscopy, and X-ray characterization. Uniform degradation of the catalyst layer including Pt agglomeration/migration and electrode thinning was observed in all of the post-teardown measurements compared to BOL materials resulting from years of field operation. Despite these changes, the measured post-teardown performance suggests a sufficient output for the expected load, which indicate factors other than degradation of the membrane-electrode assemblies (MEAs) are likely responsible for the decommissioning of the stacks. The findings indicate that these MEA materials can enable long lifetime in fuel-cell vehicles, if the MEAs are not subjected to adverse operating conditions. The results also highlight the need for more in-vehicle diagnostics to maximize the lifetime of fuel cell vehicle (FCV) powerplants. |
| Document Type: |
article in journal/newspaper |
| File Description: |
application/pdf |
| Language: |
unknown |
| Relation: |
qt4gj483kh; https://escholarship.org/uc/item/4gj483kh; https://escholarship.org/content/qt4gj483kh/qt4gj483kh.pdf |
| DOI: |
10.1149/1945-7111/ade82b |
| Availability: |
https://escholarship.org/uc/item/4gj483kh; https://escholarship.org/content/qt4gj483kh/qt4gj483kh.pdf; https://doi.org/10.1149/1945-7111/ade82b |
| Rights: |
CC-BY-NC |
| Accession Number: |
edsbas.467CABF4 |
| Database: |
BASE |