Characteristics of HiSPEC13100-catalyst-based cathode (70Pt/C) for hydrogen–air fuel cell with proton-conducting polymer electrolyte

HiSPEC 13100-monoplatinum-catalyst-based cathode for hydrogen–air (hydrogen–oxygen) fuel cell with proton-conducting polymer membrane is studied. The cathodes of membrane–electrode assemblies with different platinum load were subjected to accelerated stress-tests for the purpose of the revealing of peculiarities of the cathode degrading and its electrochemical parameters’ changing, depending on the platinum load in active layers. The cathodes with lower platinum load were shown to have better characteristics, such as the mass activity and platinum utilization coefficient. However, they are much more prone to degradation and increased transport losses at limiting currents as compared with high-platinum-loaded cathodes. A degradation mechanism is suggested, which basically allows for the platinum nanoparticles coalescence.