• Korean Chemical Engineering Research
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• v.61 no.3
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• pp.356-361
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• 2023

In order to improve the durability of the proton exchange membrane fuel cell (PEMFC), it is important to accurately evaluate the durability of the polymer membrane in a short time. The test conditions for chemically accelerated durability evaluation of membranes are high voltage, high temperature, low humidity, and high gas pressure. It can be said that the protocol is developed by changing these conditions. However, the relative influence of each test condition on the degradation of the membrane has not been studied. In chemical accelerated degradation experiment of the membrane, the influence of 4 factors (conditions) was examined through the factor experiment method. The degree of degradation of the membrane after accelerated degradation was determined by measuring the hydrogen permeability and effluent fluoride ion concentration, and it was possible to determine the degradation order of the polymer membrane under 8 conditions by the difference in fluoride ion concentration. It was shown that the influence of the membrane degradation factor was in the order of voltage > temperature > oxygen pressure > humidity. It was confirmed that the degradation of the electrode catalyst had an effect on the chemical degradation of the membrane.

• Applied Chemistry for Engineering
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• v.7 no.3
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• pp.554-564
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• 1996

Oxygen reduction in an alkaline fuel cell was studied by using perovskite of $La_{0.6}Sr_{0.4}Co_{1-x}Fe_xO_3$(x=0.00, 0.01, 0.10, 0.20, 0.35, and 0.50) as an oxygen electrode catalyst. The changes in the catalytic properties as a function of Fe content were investigated by XRD, TG, and TPR. XRD patterns gave different lattice parameters of the catalysts. TG study revealed that Fe was so stabilized in the perovskite structure as to be hardly reduced even up to $900^{\circ}C$, and the amount of oxygen which was eliminated at high temperature increased with the fraction of Fe because Fe induced the increase of Co-O binding energy. From TPR study, ${\alpha}$-(low temperature peak) and ${\beta}$-(high temperature peak)states were observed. The bond strength of the ${\beta}$-species which was associated strongly with Co of the perovskite increased proportionally with the fraction of Fe. The ${\alpha}$-species, reversible oxygen, was the active species in the oxygen reduction. The ${\alpha}$-peak temperature which reflected the binding energy between Co and ${\alpha}$-state oxygen moved to lower temperature with the increase of lattice parameter of the catalytst due to the increase of Fe content. The decrease in the binding energy increased the activity in the oxygen reduction, but the decrease of ${\alpha}$-species with the increase of Fe content decreased the activity. The increase in the surface area with Fe content had little effect on the activity.