Effect of Cationic Contaminants on Polymer Electrolyte Fuel Cell Performance

The effect of the in-situ injection of cationic contaminants on polymer electrolyte fuel cell (PEFC) performance is investigated. Four foreign cations (Ba 2+ , Ca 2+ , Al 3+ , K + ) were chosen as contaminants in this study due to their prevalence and chemical structure (e.g. valence). It is found that the cells with Ba(ClO 4 ) 2 and Ca(ClO 4 ) 2 injection exhibited little cell voltage change during a current hold test, and the cells with Al(ClO 4 ) 3 and KClO 4 injection showed a larger cell performance change with decreasing cell voltage and increasing cell resistance. After recovery tests by switching back to DI water from the cation injection, the cells which were contaminated with Ba(ClO 4 ) 2 and Ca(ClO 4 ) 2 had a tendency to recover portion of the lost performance; however, the cells with Al(ClO 4 ) 3 and KClO 4 injection did not recover even though the contaminant injection time is shorter than that of the above two cells.