An effective method to enhance the durability of polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cells (PEMFCs) is reported. PEMFC performance loss is mitigated by exposing the electrodes of fuel cells to dry nitrogen gas periodically at high temperature. This method extends the lifetime of fuel cells significantly compared to their non-treated counterparts. The impact of treatment temperature and exposure time on PEMFC durability is reported, using potential cycling accelerated stress tests. The enhanced durability is attributed to the suppression of “ionomer relaxation” that occurs under the nearly water saturated operating conditions of a PEMFC cathode.

中文翻译：

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复兴工艺以增强低Pt负载的聚合物电解质膜燃料电池的耐用性

报道了一种提高聚合物电解质膜燃料电池（PEMFC）的耐久性的有效方法。通过使燃料电池的电极在高温下定期暴露于干燥的氮气中，可以减轻PEMFC的性能损失。与未经处理的燃料电池相比，此方法可显着延长燃料电池的寿命。使用潜在的循环加速应力测试报告了处理温度和暴露时间对PEMFC耐久性的影响。增强的耐久性归因于在PEMFC阴极几乎饱和的工作条件下抑制了“离聚物松弛”。