A rheological approach to studying process-induced structural evolution of the microporous layer in a proton exchange membrane fuel cell

Revealing the role of ionic liquids in promoting fuel cell catalysts reactivity and durability

“…Both groups of samples (with and without Nafion), exhibit similar trend with higher negative zeta potential when ILs are introduced to the system because of their higher ionic strength, specifically in the case of Pt/C-([C 2 mim] + [NTf 2 ] − ) and Pt/C-([C 4 dmim] + [NTf 2 ] − ). Generally speaking, a zeta potential smaller than the agglomeration threshold, indicates the instability of the nanoparticles, which was only observed for pristine Pt/C suspension 36 without Nafion. Impregnating the carbon support with IL, significantly increased the absolute value of zeta potential.…”

“…Generally speaking, a zeta potential smaller than the agglomeration threshold, |ξ|<15mV, indicates the instability of the nanoparticles, which was only observed for pristine Pt/C suspension 36 without Nafion. Impregnating the carbon support with IL, significantly increased the absolute value of zeta potential.…”

Porous Flow Field for Next-Generation Proton Exchange Membrane Fuel Cells: Materials, Characterization, Design, and Challenges

“…However, if conventional GDLs are eliminated, a concern may arise for the contact resistance at the interface of the porous flow field and CL (or MPL) because of the significant difference in pore size between these two components. This will likely result in an increased electrical ohmic loss, which was observed by Tanaka and Shudo when using a corrugated mesh as both the flow field and GDL. , Integrating a MPL with porous flow field is an effective solution that bridges the two pore sizes and improves the contact without significantly increasing the cell thickness . In this case, controlling MPL intrusion into the flow field is vital, which will affect the channel flow.…”

“…79,80 Integrating a MPL with porous flow field is an effective solution that bridges the two pore sizes and improves the contact without significantly increasing the cell thickness. 423 In this case, controlling MPL intrusion into the flow field is vital, which will affect the channel flow. Additionally, designing a proper pore size gradient is an alternative solution, in which small pores are placed close to the CL, with gradually increasing pore size toward the BP.…”

Gas diffusion layer degradation in proton exchange membrane fuel cells: Mechanisms, characterization techniques and modelling approaches

“…The structural differences can affect not only the transport properties but also degradation mechanisms, especially mechanical durability [18]. Unlike the fibrous structure of the MPS, the MPL is a mixture of carbon powders and hydrophobic agents (e.g., PTFE) [22,23]. Since the MPL particles are orders of magnitude smaller than the pore sizes of the MPS [5,20], and the MPL is often deposited on the MPS by brushing, blading, spraying, and dipping/floating [5], these particles can penetrate into the pores of the MPL and cover the fiber surface, and there is no clear boundary between the MPS and the MPL of a GDL, as shown in Fig.…”