Impact of high-frequency current ripples on LT-PEM fuel cells materials degradation
Abstract
The impact of high-frequency current ripples generated by power electronic on the degradation of membrane electrode assembly (MEA) materials is not yet understood. In this study, two single-cell aging tests were performed at 0.8 A cm −2 : one under constant current and one subjected to sinusoidal current ripples at 10 kHz (±20 % amplitude variation), with respective durations of 455 h and 504 h. Electrochemical properties were monitored through periodic operando characterizations, while post mortem structural, microstructural and chemical analyses were carried out on the aged MEAs after disassembly. Our results show that both aging protocols ultimately led to membrane failure through increased hydrogen crossover and short-circuit formation. Nevertheless, catalyst degradation (i.e., increase in Pt nanoparticles’ size) remained limited under both conditions and substantially lower than that observed during conventional catalyst accelerated stress tests. No chemical degradation of the membrane was detected, although X-ray tomography revealed localized mechanical cracking. Overall, under the investigated single-cell conditions, sinusoidal current ripples with an amplitude of ±20 % did not produce additional detectable MEA-component degradation relative to the constant-current baseline. This conclusion is restricted to the tested frequency range, operating point, MEA architecture and aging durations.
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BibTeX
@article{stodel2026impact,
title = {{Impact of high-frequency current ripples on LT-PEM fuel cells materials degradation}},
author = {Morgane Stodel and Frédéric Lecoeur and Marc Dupont and Christophe Turpin and Pascal Lenormand and Christophe Tenailleau and Raphaël Chattot},
journal = {Journal of Power Sources},
year = {2026},
month = oct,
doi = {10.1016/j.jpowsour.2026.241284},
url = {https://hal.science/hal-05780811v1},
note = {CC BY},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Impact of high-frequency current ripples on LT-PEM fuel cells materials degradation
AU - Morgane Stodel
AU - Frédéric Lecoeur
AU - Marc Dupont
AU - Christophe Turpin
AU - Pascal Lenormand
AU - Christophe Tenailleau
AU - Raphaël Chattot
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/10/06
JO - Journal of Power Sources
DO - 10.1016/j.jpowsour.2026.241284
UR - https://hal.science/hal-05780811v1
AB - The impact of high-frequency current ripples generated by power electronic on the degradation of membrane electrode assembly (MEA) materials is not yet understood. In this study, two single-cell aging tests were performed at 0.8 A cm −2 : one under constant current and one subjected to sinusoidal current ripples at 10 kHz (±20 % amplitude variation), with respective durations of 455 h and 504 h. Electrochemical properties were monitored through periodic operando characterizations, while post mortem structural, microstructural and chemical analyses were carried out on the aged MEAs after disassembly. Our results show that both aging protocols ultimately led to membrane failure through increased hydrogen crossover and short-circuit formation. Nevertheless, catalyst degradation (i.e., increase in Pt nanoparticles’ size) remained limited under both conditions and substantially lower than that observed during conventional catalyst accelerated stress tests. No chemical degradation of the membrane was detected, although X-ray tomography revealed localized mechanical cracking. Overall, under the investigated single-cell conditions, sinusoidal current ripples with an amplitude of ±20 % did not produce additional detectable MEA-component degradation relative to the constant-current baseline. This conclusion is restricted to the tested frequency range, operating point, MEA architecture and aging durations.
SN - 0378-7753
SN - 1873-2755
ER -