Think Different! Carbon Corrosion Mitigation Strategy in High Temperature PEFC: A Rapid Aging Study

Think Different! Carbon Corrosion Mitigation Strategy in High Temperature PEFC: A Rapid Aging Study

Type	Journal Article
Author	Tom Engl
Author	Lorenz Gubler
URL	Free Full Text Source:  http://jes.ecsdl.org/content/162/3/F291
Volume	162
Issue	3
Pages	F291-F297
Publication	Journal of The Electrochemical Society
Date	01/01/2015
Abstract	In a recent study authors demonstrated that CO has a mitigating effect on carbon corrosion in HT-PEFCs during simulated start/stop cycling. In this study they extend their investigations regarding this phenomenon. At first, a parameter study was carried out in which the temperature, the water partial pressure, the gas flow rate and the CO partial pressure were varied and their individual influence on carbon corrosion examined. Subsequently, a detailed comparison between start/stop cycling with and without CO in the fuel gas was performed (rapid aging study). This comparison includes real-time carbon corrosion detection via a CO2 sensor and current mapping in 100 segments. In addition, the electrochemically active surface area (ECSA) was measured in spatially resolved manner alongside with polarization curves, characterizing the fuel cell prior and after the simulated start/stop cycling. The results show how CO is mitigating the degradation of the HT-PEFC cathode on a local level. Moreover it was demonstrated that CO in the anodic fuel gas can increase the life-time of HT-PEFCs.