Full Factorial Experiment to Determine and Predict Impact of Cerium Amount on Fuel Cell Performance

Understanding the relationship between mobile additives in the membrane and critical electrode factors is important for enabling cost-effective and long-lasting fuel cell systems. This work investigates performance impacts due to the interaction between cathode variables and cerium loading in the membrane. A statistical model is applied to separate the importance of each factor with respect to the performance signal. It was found that the ionomer to carbon black ratio has the largest effect on current density. The electrode ionomer type is a secondary effect only under very dry conditions. The conclusion is that optimizing ionic conductivity in the cathode is the most important factor for maintaining performance when cerium ions are present.