The Impact of sub ppm Carbon Monoxide and ppm Level CO/Toluene and Methylcyclohexane/CO Mixtures on PEMFC Performance and Durability

Abstract

This work studied the effects that exposure to the hydrogen fuel impurities: carbon monoxide (CO), toluene and methylcyclohexane (MeCH) had on the performance and durability of GORE{trade mark, serif} PRIMEA® MESGA (A510.1/M710.18/C510.4) membrane electrode assemblies (MEAs) used in hydrogen proton exchange membrane fuel cells (PEMFCs). MEAs used in this work had anode platinum catalyst loadings of 0.1 mg Pt cm-2 and were subjected to both single impurities and impurity mixtures. Gas chromatography was used to study the magnitude of conversion for CO to carbon dioxide (CO2) and toluene to MeCH.