Regulating Humidity-Dependent Catalyst-Layer Transport by an Ultrathin Carbon Interface for Low-RH PEMFCs
- 1State Key Laboratory of Advanced Marine Materials, Zhejiang Key Laboratory of Advanced Fuel Cells and Electrolyzers Technology, Ningbo Institute of Materials Technology and Engineering, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Ningbo 315201, China
- 2Department of Chemical and Environmental Engineering, University of Nottingham Ningbo China, Ningbo 315100, China
Abstract
Proton exchange membrane fuel cells (PEMFCs) suffer substantial performance losses under low relative humidity (RH) because catalyst-layer dehydration compromises proton conduction and interfacial reactant transport. Here, commercial Pt/C was modified through polydopamine deposition followed by thermal treatment to form an ultrathin nitrogen-doped carbon coating (NCS-Pt/C), aiming to regulate hydration and the transport environment within the catalyst layer. The modification largely preserved the porous architecture of the parent Pt/C while increasing water vapor uptake and improving surface wettability. When incorporated into membrane electrode assemblies at a cathode Pt loading of 0.10 mgPt cm−2, NCS-Pt/C delivered higher performance across 30–90% RH. The peak power density increased from 0.35 to 0.50 W cm−2 at 30% RH, from 0.57 to 0.67 W cm−2 at 60% RH, and from 0.67 to 0.77 W cm−2 at 90% RH. Under low-RH conditions, NCS-Pt/C exhibited improved dry proton accessibility and lower apparent catalyst-layer proton-conduction resistance. Substantially lower catalyst-layer oxygen transport resistance was also observed at 90% RH. These results show that the carbon interfacial modification is associated with reduced humidity sensitivity, accompanied by coupled changes in catalyst-layer hydration, interfacial transport, and reaction kinetics, with the benefit becoming particularly pronounced under dry operating conditions.
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BibTeX
@article{zhu2026regulating,
title = {{Regulating Humidity-Dependent Catalyst-Layer Transport by an Ultrathin Carbon Interface for Low-RH PEMFCs}},
author = {Caihan Zhu and Dewei Li and Tao Wu and Yunan Wang},
journal = {Nanomaterials},
year = {2026},
month = oct,
doi = {10.3390/nano16201297},
url = {https://www.mdpi.com/2079-4991/16/20/1297},
note = {CC BY 4.0},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Regulating Humidity-Dependent Catalyst-Layer Transport by an Ultrathin Carbon Interface for Low-RH PEMFCs
AU - Caihan Zhu
AU - Dewei Li
AU - Tao Wu
AU - Yunan Wang
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/10/01
JO - Nanomaterials
DO - 10.3390/nano16201297
UR - https://www.mdpi.com/2079-4991/16/20/1297
AB - Proton exchange membrane fuel cells (PEMFCs) suffer substantial performance losses under low relative humidity (RH) because catalyst-layer dehydration compromises proton conduction and interfacial reactant transport. Here, commercial Pt/C was modified through polydopamine deposition followed by thermal treatment to form an ultrathin nitrogen-doped carbon coating (NCS-Pt/C), aiming to regulate hydration and the transport environment within the catalyst layer. The modification largely preserved the porous architecture of the parent Pt/C while increasing water vapor uptake and improving surface wettability. When incorporated into membrane electrode assemblies at a cathode Pt loading of 0.10 mgPt cm−2, NCS-Pt/C delivered higher performance across 30–90% RH. The peak power density increased from 0.35 to 0.50 W cm−2 at 30% RH, from 0.57 to 0.67 W cm−2 at 60% RH, and from 0.67 to 0.77 W cm−2 at 90% RH. Under low-RH conditions, NCS-Pt/C exhibited improved dry proton accessibility and lower apparent catalyst-layer proton-conduction resistance. Substantially lower catalyst-layer oxygen transport resistance was also observed at 90% RH. These results show that the carbon interfacial modification is associated with reduced humidity sensitivity, accompanied by coupled changes in catalyst-layer hydration, interfacial transport, and reaction kinetics, with the benefit becoming particularly pronounced under dry operating conditions.
SN - 2079-4991
ER -