Hydrophilic carbon nanotubes (HCNTs) were introduced into the membrane electrode assembly (MEA) to improve its low-humidity performance. The effects of types, placement, loading, and relative humidity on the MEA performance were investigated. It has been found that the MEA with 20 wt% HCNTs loading both in anode and cathode achieved the best self-humidifying performance. Its current density reached 1550 mA cm−2 at 0.6 V, with a maximum power density of 953 mW/cm2 at 70 °C, 30 psi and 30% relative humidity conditions. Besides, the stability te...
