Morphological Characteristics of Catalyst Layer Defects in Catalyst-Coated Membranes in PEM Fuel Cells

Catalyst layer defects and irregularities in catalyst-coated membrane (CCM) electrodes affect the lifetime of polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cells (PEMFCs) during their operation. Thus, catalyst layer defects are important concerns for fuel cell manufacturers and prompt the development of quality control systems with the aim of fabricating defect-free electrodes. Consequently, the objective of this study is to gain a fundamental understanding of the morphological changes of real catalyst layer defects that have developed during CCM production. In this paper, missing catalyst layer defects (MCLD) formed during the decal transfer process are investigated through a nondestructive method using reflected light microscopy. The geometric features of the defects are quantified, and their growth is measured at regular time intervals from beginning-of-life (BOL) to end-of-life (EOL) until the OCV has dropped by 20% of its initial value as per a DOE-designed protocol. Overall, two types of degradation are observed: surface degradation caused by catalyst erosion and crack degradation caused by membrane mechanical deformation. Furthermore, catalyst layer defects formed during the decal transfer process were found to exhibit a higher growth rate at middle-of-life (MOL-1) and stabilize by EOL. This type of study will provide manufacturers with baseline information to allow them to select and reject CCMs, ultimately increasing the lifetime of fuel cell stacks.