Membrane electrode assemblies (MEAs) that were initially adhered at the cathode-catalyst-layer/cathode-porous-electrode (CCL/CPE) interface can become unadhered at this interface because of operational stressors. Unadhered MEAs may have an additional electrical contact resistance between the CCL and the CPE that was not present for adhered MEAs. This paper investigates the impact of an electrical contact resistance between the CCL and the CPE on fuel cell performance. Model predictions and experimental results are compared for adhered and un-adhered MEA designs operating in plates with different gas distribution channel geometries for a wide range of operating conditions. Model and experiment indicate that the effect of an electrical contact resistance between the CCL and the CPE can lead to significant performance loss.

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