Scientific aspects of polymer electrolyte fuel cell durability and degradation

This review article discusses one of the major remaining barriers to commercialization of fuel cells, namely durability. The correlation of durability with cost cannot be overlooked in developing fuel cell systems, as the two are interrelated in materials. In this review, we present some of the targets for PEM fuel cell systems as set by the U.S. DOE (Department of Energy) and Japanese NEDO (New Energy & Industrial Technology Development Organization). We discuss durability testing and effects that operating conditions have on fuel cell durability. Then we cover the internal component durability of fuel cells, considering the polymer-electrolyte membrane, the electrocatalyst and electrocatalyst support, and the gas diffusion media. As PEM fuel cell technology has advanced in terms of performance and cost, more emphasis has recently been put on durability, which is hopefully one of the final steps on the road to commercialization.