Fuel Cell Membrane Electrode Assemblies Fabricated by Layer‐by‐Layer Electrostatic Self‐Assembly Techniques

Abstract

High activity, carbon supported Pt electrocatalysts were synthesized using a supercritical fluid method and a selective heterogeneous nucleation reaction to disperse Pt onto single walled carbon nanotube and carbon fiber supports. These nanocomposite materials were then incorporated into catalyst and gas diffusion layers consisting of polyelectrolytes, i.e., Nafion, polyaniline, and polyethyleneimine using layer‐by‐layer (LBL) assembly techniques. Due to the ultrathin nature and excellent homogeneity characteristics of LBL materials, the LBL nanocomposite catalyst layers (LNCLs) yielded much higher Pt utilizations, 3,198 mW mgPt−1, than membrane electrode assemblies produced using conventional methods (∼800 mW mgPt−1). Thinner membranes (100 bilayers) can further improve the performance of the LNCLs and these layers can function as catalyzed gas diffusion layers for the anode and cathode of a polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cell.

Highly Stable Surface Functionalization of Microgas Chromatography Columns Using Layer-by-Layer Self-Assembly of Silica Nanoparticles

“…A desired film thickness can be achieved by simply terminating the procedure after a certain number of bilayers (BLs). Carbon nanotubes, 48,49 gold nanoparticles, 50 and SNPs 51,52 have been deposited via LbL assembly on flat as well as etched microfluidic surfaces 53,54 for diverse nanotechnology-driven applications.…”

Formation of redox-active self-assembled polyelectrolyte–surfactant complexes integrating glucose oxidase on electrodes: Influence of the self-assembly solvent on the signal generation

“…Another approach is the use of electroactive polyelectrolyte films containing species that can be oxidized and reduced in a reversible way [14,15]. These films coupled to different surfaces can be useful for fundamental studies [16,17] as well as for applications in electroanalytical chemistry [18,19], and fuel cells [20][21][22]. In the field of biosensors, the combination of these films with enzymes (e.g.…”

Structured multilayered electrodes of proton/electron conducting polymer for polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cells assembled by spray coating

“…In recent years another technique gained much attention for fuel cell applications: the layer-by-layer (LBL) assembly [11][12][13]. The LBL assembly was first published by Decher [14].…”