고분자전해질 연료전지의 내구성 향상을 위한 연구가 활발히 진행되고 있다. 구동 과정 중 고분자막의 수명을 연장시키기 위해서는 막의 열화 속도를 감소시키는 연구가 필요하다. 따라서 초기에 전해질막을 가속 열화시킨 후 전압을 변화시키면서 막의 열화 속도를 측정해 열화된 막의 열화 속도를 감소시키는 방법을 전압 제어를 통해 연구하고자 하였다. 동일한 MEA 3개를 216시간까지 개회로전압(OCV) hold로 가속 열화시켰을 때 고분자막과 전극이 열화되었다.

이 세 MEA를 0.80 V, 0.87 V, OCV 전압으로 구동하면서 성능변화를 측정하였다. OCV 상태를 그대로 유지했을 때 전극과 막의 열화에 72시간에 수명이 다했지만, 0.8~0.87 V 유지한 경우 144시간 이상의 수명으로 내구성이 향상되었다. 전극과 막이 열화된 상태에서 OCV와 같은 높은 전압을 유지하는 것은 열화속도를 가속화시키므로 0.9 V 이하의 낮은 전압에서 연료전지를 구동하는 것이 수명을 연장시킬 수 있음을 확인했다.

Research on improving the durability of polymer electrolyte fuel cells is actively being conducted. To extend the lifespan of the polymer membrane during operation, it is necessary to study methods to reduce its degradation rate. Therefore, this study aimed to investigate voltage control as a method to slow down the degradation rate of an already degraded electrolyte membrane. Initially, three identical MEAs were subjected to accelerated degradation for 216 hours under open circuit voltage(OCV) hold, leading to the degradation of both the polymer membrane and the electrode. The performance of these degraded MEAs was then evaluated while operating at 0.80 V, 0.87 V, and OCV voltage. When the OCV condition was maintained, the membrane and electrode completely degraded within 72 hours.

However, when operated at 0.80~0.87 V, the durability improved, with a lifespan extending beyond 144 hours. Maintaining a high voltage, such as OCV, in a degraded state accelerated the degradation process. Therefore, it was confirmed that operating the fuel cell at a lower voltage, below 0.9 V, can help extend its lifespan.

PEMFC, Performance, Chemical degradation, Voltage range, OCV hold

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