Elucidating the Dynamic Nature of Fuel Cell Electrodes as a Function of Conditioning: An ex Situ Material Characterization and in Situ Electrochemical Diagnostic Study

Abstract

To increase the commercialization of fuel cell electric vehicles (FCEVs), it is imperative to improve the activity and performance of electrocatalysts through combined efforts focused on materials characterization and device level integration. Obtaining fundamental insights into the ongoing structural and compositional changes of electrocatalysts in-operando is crucial for not only transitioning an electrode from its as-prepared to functional state, also known as “conditioning”- but also for establishing intrinsic electrochemical performances . Here, we investigated several ORR electrocatalysts in-operando via in situ and ex situ characterization techniques to provide fundamental insights into the interfacial phenomena occurring on the catalyst surface that enable peak oxygen reduction reaction mass activity and high current density performance. A mechanistic understanding of a fuel cell conditioning procedure is described - which encompasses voltage cycling and subsequent voltage recovery steps at low potential holds performed at a relative humidity above saturation). In particular, Ex situ MEA characterization using transmission electron microscopy and Ultra-small angle X-ray scattering (USAXS) were performed for determining changes in carbon and Pt particle size, morphology and surface impurities, and In situ electrochemical diagnostics were performed either during or after specific points in the testing protocol to determine the electrochemical and interfacial changes occurring on the catalyst surface responsible for oxygen transport resistances through ionomer films during operation. The results demonstrate that voltage cycling (break-in) step aids in the removal of sulfate and fluoride and reduces non-Fickian oxygen transport resistances, especially for catalysts where Pt is located within the pores of the carbon support. Subsequent low voltage holds at low temperature and oversaturated conditions, i.e. voltage recovery (VR) cycles, serve to improve mass activities by a factor of two to three, through a combined removal of contaminants, surface-blocking species (i.e. oxides), and rearrangement of the catalyst atomic structure (i.e., Pt-Pt and Pt-Co coordination).