@Article{ee.2026.085738,
AUTHOR = {Jianxin Pan, Yimeng Chen, Huachen Du, Xinghe Fan, Zhiming Feng, Xiaoxing Zhang},
TITLE = {Performance Degradation Mechanisms and Mitigation Strategies for PEM Fuel Cell Systems in High-Altitude Environments},
JOURNAL = {Energy Engineering},
VOLUME = {},
YEAR = {},
NUMBER = {},
PAGES = {{pages}},
URL = {http://www.techscience.com/energy/online/detail/28026},
ISSN = {1546-0118},
ABSTRACT = {As proton exchange membrane fuel cell systems are increasingly considered for transportation and stationary power applications in high-altitude regions, their performance degradation under low-pressure and oxygen-deficient environments has become a critical barrier to practical deployment. This review summarizes the key mechanisms responsible for PEMFC performance loss under high-altitude conditions, including reduced oxygen partial pressure, aggravated activation and concentration polarization, increased compressor load, and decreased system net power. Recent progress is reviewed from the perspectives of stack materials and components, air supply subsystems, system integration, control strategies, and energy management. Particular attention is given to catalyst-layer design, bipolar plate flow-field optimization, high-pressure-ratio air compressors, turbine-assisted energy recovery, oxygen excess ratio control, and net-power optimization. The analysis indicates that the major technical challenges for high-altitude PEMFC operation are no longer limited to stack materials, but are strongly associated with the coupled optimization of air supply, flow-field design, compressor operating boundaries, and altitude-adaptive control. Future research should therefore focus on integrated material–stack–system testing platforms, long-term field validation, and predictive models that couple degradation mechanisms with system-level control. This review provides a systematic reference for the design and optimization of PEMFC systems for high-altitude applications.},
DOI = {10.32604/ee.2026.085738}
}