The deployment of proton exchange membrane fuel cell (PEMFC) for aeronautic applications is a value-added energy supply alternative that not only generates useful byproducts (oxygen-depleted air, water and heat) but addresses sensitive issues such as improving health conditions of airport personnel (silent operation minimizes noise) and decreasing greenhouse gas emission (in situ zero emissions). However, the PEMFC is yet to be industrialized due to its fast degrading components. The contribution of the several start-ups and shutdowns (a PEMFC undergoes when operated in aircraft) to the degradation is not well-understood. Hence, this study seeks to explore the effects of start-up/shutdown (SU/SD) cycling on a PEMFC’s lifetime. The SU/SD cycling is incorporated with heating to 60 °C and cooling to room temperature to mimic real-life temperature changes encountered in an aircraft. The tested membrane electrode assemblies (MEAs) were characterised for performance and evolution of its components to examine the extent and nature of degradation. More than two-thirds loss of electrochemically active surface area (ECSA) of catalyst, Pt particle growth (4.71–6.41 nm) associated with Ostwald ripening and formation of PtO from adsorption of OH⁻ by Pt–M surface were identified to be causes of the observed voltage decay at 0.196 mV h⁻¹ rate. Hence, it is concluded that SU/SD cycling mostly affects the catalytic component of PEMFC in the aeronautic environment.

中文翻译：

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PEMFC在航空应用启动/关闭循环过程中的行为研究

用于航空应用的质子交换膜燃料电池（PEMFC）的部署是一种增值能源供应替代方案，不仅可以产生有用的副产品（贫氧空气，水和热量），而且还可以解决敏感问题，例如改善机场人员的健康状况（静音操作可将噪音降至最低）并减少温室气体排放（现场零排放）。然而，PEMFC由于其快速降解的组分而尚未工业化。几种启动和关闭（在飞机上运行时，PEMFC会经历）对性能下降的影响尚不清楚。因此，本研究旨在探索启动/关闭（SU / SD）循环对PEMFC寿命的影响。SU / SD循环结合了加热到60°C和冷却到室温的功能，以模拟飞机在现实生活中遇到的温度变化。对经过测试的膜电极组件（MEA）的性能和组件演化进行了表征，以检查降解的程度和性质。催化剂的电化学活性表面积（ECSA）损失三分之二以上，Pt颗粒生长（4.71–6.41 nm）与Ostwald熟化和OH吸附形成PtO有关^-通过Pt–M表面被确定是在0.196 mV h ^-1速率下观察到的电压衰减的原因。因此，可以得出结论，SU / SD循环主要影响航空环境中PEMFC的催化成分。