Development of shut-down process for a proton exchange membrane fuel cell

Abstract

Several different shut-down procedures were carried out to reduce the degradation of membrane electrode assembly (MEA) in a proton exchange membrane fuel cell (PEMFC). The effects of close/open state of outlets of a single cell and application of a dummy load during the shut-down on the degradation of the MEA were investigated. Also, we elucidated the relationship between the thickness of the electrolyte membrane and the degradation of the MEA for different shut-down procedures. When a thin electrolyte membrane was used, the closer of outlets mitigated the degradation during on/off operation. For the thicker electrolyte membrane, the dummy load which eliminates residual hydrogen and oxygen in the electrodes should be applied to lower the degradation. (C) 2008 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.