Electrospun Nanofiber Electrodes for Boosted Performance and Durability at Lower Humidity Operation of PEM Fuel Cells

Abstract

The need for the development of new materials and strategies to enhance the performance of the PEM fuel cell at low humidity and platinum (Pt) loadings is becoming increasingly crucial. Due to this fact, the current study presents the fabrication of electrospun sulfonated silica (S-SiO 2 ) as a poly(vinylidene fluoride-co-trifluoroethylene) (P(VDF-TrFE))-based, flexible, freestanding, and highly porous novel cathode structure for PEM fuel cells. The developed fiber-based P(VDF-TrFE)/Pt/C/S-SiO 2 cathodes are compared with electrospun PVDF/Pt/C/S-SiO 2 , PVDF/Pt/C/Nafion, and conventionally sprayed electrodes to evaluate the utility of a new (carrier) P(VDF-TrFE) polymer in electrode structure. Morphological analyses revealed that S-SiO 2 and Pt/C particles were homogeneously distributed along the fibers without any significant agglomerations. The MEAs prepared by fiber-based P(VDF-TrFE)-Pt/C/S-SiO 2 cathodes with low Pt loadings (0.1−0.15 mg cm Pt −2) demonstrated promising fuel cell performance recording up to 417.7 mW cm −2 . It also exhibited a remarkable power output retention (98.2%) under partially humidified conditions. In situ electrochemical measurements reveal that enhanced particle distribution and Pt/S-SiO 2 surface contact results in the cathode performance surpassing that of conventional sprayed and fiber-based PVDF/Pt/C/Nafion cathodes. The fiber-based P(VDF-TrFE)/Pt/C/S-SiO 2 cathodes exhibited a promising durability record retaining up to 86.5% of their maximum power output after 30 000 cycles of a Pt-dissolution accelerated stress test (AST). Furthermore, P(VDF-TrFE)-Pt/C/S-SiO 2 cathodes with high S-SiO 2 loadings exhibited a 2.7% gain in maximum power density after 1000 cycles of a carbon corrosion durability test.

Fluorination and its Effects on Electrocatalysts for Low‐Temperature Fuel Cells

“…[ 134 ] Another example is the electrospun Pt‐based and PVDF‐containing PEMFC electrodes (PVDF/Pt/C/S‐SiO 2 , PVDF/Pt/C/Nafion), with tailored hydrophilicity for dry operation. [ 135 ]…”

A Recent Review of Electrospun Porous Carbon Nanofiber Mats for Energy Storage and Generation Applications

“…Iskandarani et al developed new materials and strategies to improve the performance of PEM fuel cells at low humidity, and platinum loading is becoming increasingly important. In this study, the fabrication of electrospun sulfonated silica (S-SiO 2 ) as a flexible, free-standing, and highly effective novel cathode structure based on poly(vinylidene fluoride-co-trifluoroethylene) for PEM fuel cells was presented [113]. Yusoff and Shaari fabricated nanofibers using electrospinning technology and provided an overview of the electrospinning process by explaining the operating principle and parameters that specifically affect the fabrication of electrospun nanofiber membranes and fiber materials as electrochemical catalysts in fuel cell applications [114].…”

Enhanced PEMFC performance through high O2 permeation and proton conductive electrospun nanofiber electrodes with unique ionomer construction

“…[5][6][7][8][9][10][11][12] Previous studies have shown the improved performance and promising durability of electrospun electrodes compared to traditional electrodes with particle-stacked structures and have tried to understand the mechanism for performance improvement. 9,[11][12][13][14][15][16][17] In 2017, Si et al fabricated nanober electrodes that outperformed traditional electrodes with the same Pt-loading at 80 °C. They proposed that the larger electrochemically active surface area (ECSA), lower mass transfer resistance, and lower charge transfer resistance of the fabricated electrodes were because of the dissolution of a poly(acrylic acid) (PAA) carrier polymer for electrospinning, leading to a signicant structural change in the catalyst layer during a preconditioning process.…”