Abstract: The present paper highlights on the need to understand the correlation of the characteristics of the catalyst
layer with the performance of the polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cell (PEMFC). This paper deals with the
correlation of the platinum loading in the catalyst layer and the performance of the polymer electrolyte membrane
fuel cell and also the correlation of the required hydrophilicity/hydrophobicity in the catalyst layer to get the optimum
performance under given operating conditions.

Key words: PEMFC, Hydrophilic, Hydrophobic, Catalyst layer, Platinum loading