Proton exchange membrane fuel cell degradation model based on catalyst transformation theory

Durability is a severe problem in the commercial application of proton exchange membrane fuel cell (PEMFC). The platinum (Pt) catalyst which greatly affects performance and durability is one of the most important components in PEMFC. However, few PEMFC degradation models focused on the Pt catalyst degradation process in molecule scale. In this paper, a novel PEMFC catalyst degradation model is developed based on the catalyst transformation theory. In this model, the Pt catalyst degrades by changing form and size according to the transformation theory, which includes Pt dissolution and Ostwald ripening mechanisms. The advantage of this new model is that the transformation of every Pt particle is calculated directly, and the characteristics of every particle are considered, thus it can give more accurate catalyst degradation process. Six groups of experimental data have been used to validate the effectiveness of the proposed degradation model of PEMFC. Furthermore, the accuracy of the proposed degradation model is superior to a traditional model, and the application of such a degradation model to the performance prediction of the PEMFC has been discussed.