Surface Area Loss of Supported Platinum in Polymer Electrolyte Fuel Cells

Life tests of polymer‐electrolyte fuel cells using supported Pt catalyst in thin film catalyst layers are run for up to 4000 h at maximum power. Particle ripening is readily evident using these types of electrodes in which the high catalyst utilization efficiency apparently subjects the majority of the platinum to conditions that sustain particle growth. X‐ray diffraction analyses indicate that the initial platinum specific surface areas of 100 m2/g Pt eventually stabilize to about 40 to 50 m2/g in the cathode and 60 to 70 m2/g in the anode. Interestingly, this loss in surface area does not affect the apparent catalytic activity of these fuel cell electrodes. A crystallite migration particle growth mechanism is suggested by the shape of the particle size distribution curves. Since the presence of liquids is known to lower the activation energy for particle growth, the particle size difference between the two electrodes may possibly be attributable to the different hydration levels at the anode and the cathode in operating polymer electrolyte fuel cells.