20.500.12556/DiRROS-30140 Protocol for the ex-situ electrochemical performance evaluation of the high-temperature pemfc electrodes activity, durability and wettability inter-relations Effect of pre-wetting on catalyst utilization and durability of high-temperature proton exchange membrane fuel cell (HT-PEMFC) gas diffusion electrodes (GDEs) was investigated in a three-electrode configuration. Pre-wetting protocols included treatment in ethanol-water mixture (0, 10, 50 and 100 % v/v ethanol), ethanol-water vapor and concentrated orthophosphoric acid (14.85 M) at 150 °C. All pre-wetting approaches significantly enhanced electrode wettability by reducing hydrophobicity and surface tension, leading to improved initial catalyst utilization. However, accelerated stress test (AST) revealed a trade-off between utilization and durability, with wetted electrodes exhibiting lower electrochemically active surface area (ECSA) and Pt retention compared to untreated electrodes. Changes in Pt crystallite and particle sizes during the AST were estimated through X-ray diffraction analysis and transmission electron microscopy. All three wetting procedures have similar effects on catalyst utilization and durability without compromising the structural integrity. Single-cell measurements showed that while pre-wetting is effective for rapid screening and improving the initial performance, its benefits are not directly transferable to practical operation without further optimization. These findings highlight the trade-off between catalyst utilization and durability in HT-PEMFC GDEs. electrocatalysts accelerated stress test elektrokatalizatorji HT-PEMFC GDE true false true Published on behalf of The Electrochemical Society by IOP Publishing Limited. Angleški jezik Slovenski jezik © 2026 The Author(s). Neznano 2026-06-16 08:57:21 2026-06-16 08:57:21 2026-06-17 03:46:49 0000-00-00 00:00:00 2026 0 0 Nasl. z nasl. zaslona; Soavtor iz Slovenije: Sašo Gyergyek; Opis vira z dne 2. 6. 2026; str. 1-35 iss. Vol. [in press] 2026 0000-00-00 Zaloznikova Objavljeno NiDoloceno 2026-01-13 0000-00-00 2026-06-10 544.5/.6 1945-7111 10.1149/1945-7111/ae747a 280065283 https://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.1149/1945-7111/ae747a 1 a1b3db7b-6950-11f1-97b2-001a4af901a5 https://dirros.openscience.si/Dokument.php?lang=slv&id=45575 RAZ_Maurya_Rajan_Ma_2026.pdf RAZ_Maurya_Rajan_Ma_2026.pdf 1 C2B1EDE73BC047C4893A0CFCA1E1BCB2 25a75075c8cc1ab97bddcff1db75ca7585556ec45f5178644eab2dc22d37551e f56413ac-6950-11f1-97b2-001a4af901a5 https://dirros.openscience.si/Dokument.php?lang=slv&id=45576 Institut Jožef Stefan 0 0 0