The practical application of fuel cell vehicles is hindered by the poor performance and durability of proton exchange membrane fuel cells, especially with a low Pt loading and at a low relative humidity, due to limited proton transport properties and limited electrochemical reaction surface areas of conventional electrode design. Here, we propose a patterned design with ordered ionomer micropillars as an alternative electrode structure, which enhances the performance and durability of proton exchange membrane fuel cells with a low Pt loading (0.1 mg cm-2) across a wide range of humidities. Compared to conventional electrodes, patterned electrodes achieve up to 29% peak power density improvement under low-humidity (50%) conditions. Pore-scale multiphysics modeling demonstrates that the ionomer micropillars inside patterned electrodes facilitate efficient proton transport within the electrode, enabling a higher oxygen reduction reaction rate at these sites and thus enhancing the homogeneity of reaction rates. Moreover, patterned electrodes exhibit improved durability, showing less performance loss after accelerated stress testing across a wide range of humidities compared to conventional electrodes. Strategic redesign of ionomer micropillars demonstrates that the electrode of H1.8W0.38, with its increased penetration depth and appropriately adjusted width, achieves optimal performance by minimizing oxygen and proton transport resistances by 6% and 14% respectively, compared to the pre-optimization (H1.5W0.38) under low-humidity (50%) conditions. The proposed patterned design strategy offers a promising approach for advancing the development of high-performance, cost-effective, and durable fuel cells.

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