Effects of the Thickness of the Catalyst Layer on the Mechanical Property of an MEA

摘要

Polymerelectrolyte membrane fuel cells, especially for automotive applications, must operate over a wide range of conditions. The Fuel Cell Commercialization Conference of Japan (FCCJ) proposed methodologies for testing MEAs and their materials (1,2). We have applied the protocols of FCCJ to standard materials and verified their validity by using JAR1 standard single cell (3,4). Humidity cycle tests that simulate the operation of a fuel cell vehicle are widely used to test the mechanical durability of a membrane in the form of membrane-electrode assemblies (MEAs). However, the mechanism of mechanical degradation of MEAs under humidity cycles is not fully understood. In this study, we examined the effects of the catalyst layer in an MEA on the swelling characteristic, thermodeformational behavior, and mechanical strength. The relation between the catalyst layer thickness and the mechanical strength was discussed.