Investigation of platinum utilization and morphology in catalyst layer of polymer electrolyte fuel cells

Platinum utilization in the gas-diffusion catalyst layer and thin-film catalyst layer is investigated. The morphology of PTFE and Nafion in a simulated catalyst layer is examined by scanning electronmicroscopy (SEM) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). The results show that the platinum utilization of the thin-film catalyst layer containing only Pt/C and Nafion is 45.4%. The low utilization is attributed to the fact that the electron conduction of many catalyst particles is impaired by some thick Nafion layers or clumps. For the gas-diffusion (E-TEK) electrode, the platinum utilization is mainly affected by the proton conduction provided by Nafion. The blocking effect of PTFE on the active sites is not serious. When the electrode is sufficiently impregnated with Nafion by an immersion method, the platinum utilization can reach 77.8%. Transmission electron micrographs reveal that although some thick Nafion layers and clumps are observed in the Pt/C + Nafion layer, the distribution of Nafion in the catalyst layer is basically uniform. The melted PTFE disperses in the catalyst layer very uniformly. No large PTFE clumps or wide net-like structure is observed. The reactant gas may have to diffuse evenly in the catalyst layer. (C) 1999 Elsevier Science S.A. All rights reserved.

Determination of ionic resistance and optimal composition in the anodic catalyst layers of DMFC using AC impedance

In the present study, a method based on transmission-line mode for a porous electrode was used to measure the ionic resistance of the anode catalyst layer under in situ fuel cell operation condition. The influence of Nafion content and catalyst loading in the anode catalyst layer on the methanol electro-oxidation and direct methanol fuel cell (DMFC) performance based on unsupported Pt-Ru black was investigated by using the AC impedance method. The optimal Nafion content was found to be 15 wt% at 75 degrees C. The optimal Pt-Ru loading is related to the operating temperature, for example, about 2.0 mg/cm(2) for 75-90 degrees C, 3.0 mg/cm2 for 50 degrees C. Over these values, the cell performance decreased due to the increases in ohmic and mass transfer resistances. It was found that the peak power density obtained was 217 mW/cm(2) with optimal catalyst and Nafion loading at 75 degrees C using oxygen. (c) 2005 International Association for Hydrogen Energy. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.