Decoupling the effects of hot-pressing parameters in the elaboration of proton exchange membrane fuel cell membrane electrode assembly
Abstract
Hot-pressing is a critical yet insufficiently understood step in the fabrication of membrane electrode assemblies (MEAs) for proton exchange membrane fuel cells (PEMFCs). Here, a design-of-experiments approach based on a Central Composite Rotatable Design (CCRD) is employed to decouple the effects of temperature, pressure, and compression time in catalyst-coated substrate MEAs. Strong non-linear interactions between processing parameters are identified, highlighting the limitations of conventional optimization strategies. Optimal conditions (144°C, 5.0 MPa, 2.1 min) yield a peak power density of 1055 mW cm −2 under H 2 /O 2 at 95% relative humidity, with excellent agreement between predicted and experimental values (∼1% error). Morphological analysis using SEM reveals qualitative differences in interfacial morphology between higher- and lower-performing MEAs, consistent with a possible contribution of interfacial quality to performance. The response-surface framework proved applicable under reduced humidity and air operation, with distinct optimal hot-pressing parameters identified for each condition, confirming that MEA fabrication must be specifically optimized for the targeted operating environment. Optimal hot-pressing parameters were found to be system-dependent. This work establishes a predictive framework for scalable and reproducible fabrication of high-performance PEMFC MEAs.
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BibTeX
@article{previdello2026decoupling,
title = {{Decoupling the effects of hot-pressing parameters in the elaboration of proton exchange membrane fuel cell membrane electrode assembly}},
author = {Bruno Previdello and Jérémie Chatelain and Thomas Gaumont and Julien Giboz and Christophe Carral and Patrice Mele and Marian Chatenet},
journal = {Journal of Power Sources},
year = {2026},
month = sep,
doi = {10.1016/j.jpowsour.2026.241447},
url = {https://hal.science/hal-05751832v1},
note = {CC BY},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Decoupling the effects of hot-pressing parameters in the elaboration of proton exchange membrane fuel cell membrane electrode assembly
AU - Bruno Previdello
AU - Jérémie Chatelain
AU - Thomas Gaumont
AU - Julien Giboz
AU - Christophe Carral
AU - Patrice Mele
AU - Marian Chatenet
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/09/16
JO - Journal of Power Sources
DO - 10.1016/j.jpowsour.2026.241447
UR - https://hal.science/hal-05751832v1
AB - Hot-pressing is a critical yet insufficiently understood step in the fabrication of membrane electrode assemblies (MEAs) for proton exchange membrane fuel cells (PEMFCs). Here, a design-of-experiments approach based on a Central Composite Rotatable Design (CCRD) is employed to decouple the effects of temperature, pressure, and compression time in catalyst-coated substrate MEAs. Strong non-linear interactions between processing parameters are identified, highlighting the limitations of conventional optimization strategies. Optimal conditions (144°C, 5.0 MPa, 2.1 min) yield a peak power density of 1055 mW cm −2 under H 2 /O 2 at 95% relative humidity, with excellent agreement between predicted and experimental values (∼1% error). Morphological analysis using SEM reveals qualitative differences in interfacial morphology between higher- and lower-performing MEAs, consistent with a possible contribution of interfacial quality to performance. The response-surface framework proved applicable under reduced humidity and air operation, with distinct optimal hot-pressing parameters identified for each condition, confirming that MEA fabrication must be specifically optimized for the targeted operating environment. Optimal hot-pressing parameters were found to be system-dependent. This work establishes a predictive framework for scalable and reproducible fabrication of high-performance PEMFC MEAs.
SN - 0378-7753
SN - 1873-2755
ER -