ABSTRACT
This chapter surveys the current state of understanding about the effects of fuel and air impurities on the performance of the polymer electrolyte fuel cell (PEFC). It is a review of ex situ and single cell tests, electrochemical characterizations, and theoretical studies pertinent to the subject. In this chapter, the sources of fuel and air impurities are examined. The impact of each type of pollutants on performance and durability are presented, and their underlying mechanisms are discussed. The last section covers mitigation strategies, the technological challenges going forward, and the fundamental areas that warrant further investigation. An in-depth discussion on PEFC contamination modeling is beyond the scope of this chapter good reviews on this topic can be found in Refs. [1-4].
