Tolerance of membrane with additive to iron contamination in PEM fuel cell

Contamination is one major contributor to the degradation of proton exchange membrane (PEM) fuel cell performance and lifetime. Aiming to evaluate the tolerance of PEM doped with radical scavenger additives to metal ions contamination, iron (Fe) ion was selected in this work as a representative of impurities that could come from current metal bipolar plates and directly introduced into the membrane. It has been found that the membrane additives could not only provide durability benefits but also enhance Fe3+ contamination tolerance without any performance loss. These scientific findings provide valuable guide-lines for membrane developers and PEM fuel cell manufacturers on quality control (QC) considerations during the production of fuel cell components.Crown Copyright (c) 2023 Published by Elsevier Ltd on behalf of Hydrogen Energy Publications LLC. All rights reserved.