Integration of a Pd-CeO₂/C Anode with Pt and Pt-Free Cathode Catalysts in High Power Density Anion Exchange Membrane Fuel Cells

Recent advances in developing high-performance anion exchange membranes (AEMs) for fuel cell (AEMFC) applications enable catalyst developers to investigate and test cheaper and/or more sustainable materials under operando fuel cell conditions. In this article, we integrate a high-performance Pd-CeO2/C hydrogen oxidation reaction (HOR) catalyst into AEMFCs in combination with different Pt and Pt-free cathodes. A H2/O2 AEMFC peak power performance of 2 W cm–2 at 80 °C is obtained when using a Pt/C cathode (2 A cm–2 is achieved at a cell voltage of 0.6 V), which translates to 1 W cm–2 peak power density (0.7 A cm–2 is achieved at 0.6 V) at 60 °C with the switch to a cheap, critical raw material (CRM)-free Fe/C cathode catalyst.