Potential cycle tests that simulate the operation of a fuel cell vehicle are widely adopted as a durability testing method of membrane-electrode assemblies (MEAs). The Fuel Cell Commercialization Conference of Japan (FCCJ) has proposed methodologies for testing MEAs and their materials in 2007, focusing on the evaluation of the durability of electrode materials. The two protocols, start/stop durability test and load cycle durability test, were revised in 2011 based on the up-to-date knowledge concerning fuel cell durability. In this study, we applied the revised protocols to a standard electrocatalyst, and the effect of the revision was verified. We have demonstrated that the revision of the protocols accelerates the evaluation of fuel cell materials and verified that the revised protocols effectively separate the degradation of Pt electrocatalyst from that of carbon support.

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Hydrogen for fuel cell vehicles is likely to contain impurities from its production process, and such impurities may poison the fuel cell catalyst, which in turn will deteriorate the power generation performance of the fuel cell especially when the Pt loading is reduced. Effects of anode Pt loading and CO as an impurity on power generation performance were investigated. The test results indicated that the smaller the Pt loading in the anode was, the more rapidly cell voltage declined under the influence of CO contained in the hydrogen. The amount of voltage decrease accelerated as the Pt loading was reduced. With regard to CO and CO 2 concentrations in exhaust gas, it was found that when the cell voltage fell and stabilized following the supply of a CO-added hydrogen, a reduction of Pt loading resulted in the lowering of CO concentration and the heightening of CO 2 concentration.

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