Preprint of "Investigation of Fuel Cell Behavior with Different Catalyst Loadings at Varying Humidities and Temperatures"

In this work, we study the performance and durability of Proton Exchange Membrane (PEM) fuel cells with varying Pt loadings (ranging from 0.2 to 1 mg cm-2) and ionomer carbon ratios (0.6 and 0.8) in cathode catalyst layers under different operating humidities and temperatures. It was found that performance is affected by relative humidity, reaching a maximum at 75%RH for loading <0.4 mgPt cm-2 and at 50%RH for loading > 0.8 mgPt cm-2. An increase in the I/C ratio to 0.8 was found to impair fuel cell performance at high humidity levels while enhancing performance and durability under low humidity operation