Use of a sub-gasket and soft gas diffusion layer to mitigate mechanical degradation of a hydrocarbon membrane for polymer electrolyte fuel cells in wet-dry cycling

Abstract The mechanical durability of hydrocarbon (HC) membranes, used for polymer electrolyte fuel cells (PEFCs), was evaluated by the United States Department of Energy (USDOE) stress protocol involving wet-dry cycling, and the degradation mechanism is discussed. The HC membrane ruptured in the edge region of the membrane electrode assembly (MEA) after 300 cycles due to a concentration of the mechanical stress. Post-test analysis of stress-strain measurements revealed that the membrane mechanical strain decreased more than 80% in the edge region of the MEA and about 50% in the electrode region, compared with the pristine condition. Size exclusion chromatography (SEC) indicated that the average molecular weight of the HC polymer increased slightly, indicating some cross-linking, while the IEC decreased slightly, indicating ionomer degradation. As a result of two types of modifications, a sub-gasket (SG) and a soft gas diffusion layer (GDL) in the MEA edge region, the mechanical stress decreased, and the durability increased, the membrane lasting more than 30,000 cycles without mechanical failure.