Abstract
The insufficient supply of H
2 to the anode of a fuel cell (so-called “H
2-starvation”) leads to a high electrode potential that can ultimately cause cell failure. Herein we mimicked this H
2-starvation in a liquid electrolyte using a polycrystalline Pt rotating disk electrode (RDE) and demonstrate that this Pt-RDE gets trapped at high potentials even when the H
2-supply is re-establishing. Our results could have significant implications for the durability of Pt-based anode catalysts, and highlight the urgency of verifying the occurrence of this “trapped state” in a fuel cell configuration.
Publisher
The Electrochemical Society
Subject
Materials Chemistry,Electrochemistry,Surfaces, Coatings and Films,Condensed Matter Physics,Renewable Energy, Sustainability and the Environment,Electronic, Optical and Magnetic Materials