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Enhancing membrane electrode assembly performance by improving the porous structure and hydrophobicity of the cathode catalyst layer
Enhancing membrane electrode assembly (MEA) performance is an ongoing pursuit in the drive to meet the increasing demand for fuel cell technology. In the present study, we utilize carbon nanotubes (CNTs) as porosity enhancers and polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) as a surface modulating agent to develo...
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Published in: | Journal of power sources 2019-12, Vol.443, p.227284, Article 227284 |
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Main Authors: | , , , , , , , |
Format: | Article |
Language: | English |
Subjects: | |
Citations: | Items that this one cites Items that cite this one |
Online Access: | Get full text |
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Summary: | Enhancing membrane electrode assembly (MEA) performance is an ongoing pursuit in the drive to meet the increasing demand for fuel cell technology. In the present study, we utilize carbon nanotubes (CNTs) as porosity enhancers and polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) as a surface modulating agent to develop a high-performance MEA with a more porous structure and greater hydrophobicity. By systematically investigating the effects of adding CNTs and PTFE, we find that the CNTs not only increase the porosity of the cathode catalyst layer (CCL) but also boost the utilization of the platinum(Pt) catalyst by increasing the exposure of Pt active sites and lowering the charge transfer resistance, due to CNTs’ superior electronic conductivity compared with carbon black. The hydrophobicity of the CCL is adjusted by adding an appropriate amount of PTFE, resulting in much better water management. The best-performing MEA contains 15 wt% CNTs and 30 wt% PTFE in the CCL. At voltages of 0.7 and 0.6 V, the discharge current densities reach 1000 and 1550 mA cm−2, respectively, with a maximum power density of 949 mW cm−2, compared to 750 and 1200 mA cm−2 and 789 mW cm−2 using a MEA without CNTs and PTFE. Our optimized MEA also exhibits significantly improved performance at low backpressure due to the increase in CCL porosity.
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•The performance of MEA can be improved by adding CNTs and PTFE.•The addition of CNTs improves the conductivity and porosity of the catalyst layer.•The hydrophobicity of the catalyst layer can be tuned by the addition of PTFE.•The performance of the MEA at 0.7 V is enhanced by 33.3% compared to the MEA without adding. |
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ISSN: | 0378-7753 1873-2755 |
DOI: | 10.1016/j.jpowsour.2019.227284 |