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Investigation of a High‐Performance Nanofiber Cathode with Ultralow Platinum Loading for Proton Exchange Membrane Fuel Cells
Author(s) -
Hong Shaojing,
Hou Ming,
Xiao Yu,
Shao Zhigang,
Yi Baolian
Publication year - 2017
Publication title -
energy technology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.91
H-Index - 44
eISSN - 2194-4296
pISSN - 2194-4288
DOI - 10.1002/ente.201600734
Subject(s) - materials science , cathode , electrode , proton exchange membrane fuel cell , nafion , electrospinning , chemical engineering , ionomer , knudsen diffusion , composite material , nanofiber , platinum , membrane , polytetrafluoroethylene , catalysis , porosity , electrochemistry , polymer , fuel cells , chemistry , organic chemistry , biochemistry , copolymer , engineering
Nanofiber electrodes fabricated by using the electrospinning technique in the cathode of proton exchange membrane fuel cells gave a peak power density of 0.692 W cm −2 with an ultralow Pt loading of 0.087 mg cm −2 . As the cathode, the electrospun (E_spun) electrodes exposed a high Pt surface to oxygen, with a highly uniform distribution of Pt catalyst and Nafion ionomer, which improved the utilization of Pt. The ionic resistance of the E_spun electrode was decreased owing to the nanofiber structure. The high porosity of the E_spun electrode enhanced the Knudsen diffusion in small pores, which mitigated the oxygen‐transfer resistance. The addition of 5 wt % polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) to the E_spun electrode optimized water management, especially at high current densities. The accelerated stability test showed that the long‐term durability of the E_spun electrode is much better than the conventional decal electrode due to the interaction of the carbon support and hydrophilic poly(acrylic acid).