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Effect of the Cathode Catalyst Layer Thickness on the Performance in Direct Methanol Fuel Cells
Author(s) -
Glass Dean E.,
Prakash G. K. Surya
Publication year - 2019
Publication title -
electroanalysis
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.574
H-Index - 128
eISSN - 1521-4109
pISSN - 1040-0397
DOI - 10.1002/elan.201800628
Subject(s) - platinum , cathode , direct methanol fuel cell , materials science , methanol fuel , fabrication , catalysis , layer (electronics) , methanol , electrode , composite material , membrane electrode assembly , chemical engineering , power density , fuel cells , chemistry , power (physics) , electrolyte , anode , alternative medicine , pathology , engineering , biochemistry , quantum mechanics , medicine , physics , organic chemistry
Catalyst deposition control is one of the overlooked areas of fuel cell fabrication and research that can affect the overall performance and cost of the fuel cell to manufacture for mass production. The effect of the different individual catalyst layer thicknesses and loadings of the cathode compartment of a direct methanol fuel cell (DMFC) was investigated. The drawdown method was performed at thicknesses varying from 1 mil to 8 mils with platinum loadings ranging from 0.25 mg cm −2 to 2.0 mg cm −2 . The membrane electrode assemblies (MEAs) with thicker individual layers (8 mil and 4 mil) performed better overall compared to the ones prepared with thinner individual layers (1 mil). The power density maxima for the different loading levels followed an exponential decrease of platinum utilization at the higher loading levels. The painted MEAs tended to display the similar performance characteristics as the drawdown MEA layers closest to the thickness at the respective loadings.