Optimization of gas diffusion electrode for polybenzimidazole-based high temperature proton exchange membrane fuel cell: Evaluation of polymer binders in catalyst layer

Su, Huaneng; Pasupathi, Sivakumar; Bladergroen, Bernard Jan; Linkov, Vladimir; Pollet, Bruno G.

doi:10.1016/j.ijhydene.2013.06.107

Cited by 99 publications

(45 citation statements)

References 44 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…Nevertheless, PVDF has been employed with some success as the electrode binder in PBI-based hydrogen/air fuel cell electrodes. 16 In the present paper, new results are presented on the initial power and carbon corrosion durability of nanofiber MEAs with a cathode binder of neat poly(vinylidene fluoride) (PVDF) or various Nafion/PVDF blends, where the binder composition effects the concentration of water at the surface of Pt/C particles. Methods for electrospinning high Pt/C content nanofibers with these new binders were identified and MEAs were fabricated with the resulting nanofiber non-woven mat cathodes.…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Power Output and Durability of Electrospun Fuel Cell Fiber Cathodes with PVDF and Nafion/PVDF Binders

Brodt

Dale

Pintauro

2016

J. Electrochem. Soc.

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Membrane-electrode-assemblies (MEAs) with electrospun nanofiber mat electrodes (0.10 mg/cm 2 Pt loading) and a Nafion 211 membrane were prepared and tested in a H 2 /air fuel cell at 100% and 40% relative humidity. The cathode binder was either neat poly(vinylidene fluoride) (PVDF) or a Nafion/PVDF blend (20 to 80 wt% Nafion) and the anode binder was Nafion with poly(acrylic acid). Polarization curves were recorded at 80 • C and ambient pressure before, intermittently, and after a carbon corrosion voltage cycling experiment. The Nafion/PVDF cathode MEA with the smallest amount of PVDF (80/20 Nafion/PVDF weight ratio) produced the highest maximum power at beginning-of-life (BoL), 545 mW/cm 2 at 100% RH, which was 35% greater than that for a conventional MEA with a neat Nafion binder. Carbon corrosion scaled inversely with cathode PVDF content, with a 33/67 Nafion/PVDF cathode binder MEA producing the highest end-of-life (EoL) power (330 mW/cm 2 ). MEAs with < 50 wt% PVDF in the cathode binder exhibited a power density decline during carbon corrosion, whereas the power increased during/after carbon corrosion for nanofiber cathodes with binders containing > 50 wt% PVDF due to favorable increases in the hydrophilicity of the carbon support and Pt mass activity, coupled with a lower carbon loss. The hydrogen/air proton-exchange membrane fuel cell is a promising candidate for emission-free automotive power plants, but issues remain regarding the high cost and durability of membrane-electrodeassemblies (MEAs).1 For commercialization, the Pt loading of fuel cell MEAs (particularly the cathode) must be reduced while maintaining high power output and the catalytic activity of the cathode for electrochemical oxygen reduction must be maintained during long-term operation with various power cycles and numerous stack start-ups and shut-down events. 2In a series of recent papers, Pintauro and coworkers have shown that an electrospun nanofiber cathode, composed of Pt/C particles and a binder of Nafion + poly(acrylic acid) (abbreviated as PAA) performs remarkably well in a hydrogen/air proton exchange membrane fuel cell.3-5 For example, a nanofiber electrode MEA with 0.055 mg Pt /cm 2 at the cathode and 0.059 mg Pt /cm 2 at the anode (Johnson Matthey Pt/C catalyst) produced more than 900 mW/cm 2 at maximum power in a H 2 /air fuel cell at 80• C, 100% RH, and high feed gas flow rates at 2 atm backpressure. 4 In a recent collaborative study between Vanderbilt University and Nissan Technical Center North America, Brodt et al. 5 showed that MEAs with an electrospun particle/polymer cathode generated high beginning-of-life power and also exhibited excellent durability, as determined from end-of-life polarization curves after an accelerated start-stop voltage cycling (carbon corrosion) test. Thus, after 1,000 simulated start-stop cycles, a nanofiber MEA with Johnson Matthey Pt/C catalyst and a binder of Nafion + PAA maintained 53% of its initial power at 0.65 V and 85% of its maximum power, as compared to a 28% power retention at 0.65...

show abstract

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Power Output and Durability of Electrospun Fuel Cell Fiber Cathodes with PVDF and Nafion/PVDF Binders

Brodt

Dale

Pintauro

2016

J. Electrochem. Soc.

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…particles to be encapsulated in the binder, thus providing a larger Pt surface in the CLs. On the contrary, PBI polymers are easily covered on the surface of catalyst particles, which could impose a limitation in the mass transport in CLs caused by the low gas permeability of these films formed on the catalyst sites [13,30]. Therefore, the loading of PBI and PVDF affected the performance of PEMFCs.…”

Section: Water Contact Anglesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Effect of polyvinylidene difluoride in the catalyst layer on high-temperature PEMFCs

Lin

et al. 2015

International Journal of Hydrogen Energy

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

“…To verify the resistances of the single cells with these MEAs, in situ impedance measurements are performed at the cell voltage of 0.6 V, as shown in Figure 4. Only one semicircular loop can be observed in the Nyquist plot as the electrode process is dominated by ORR [15]. Through simulation with a simple RC equivalent circuit, their corresponding cell resistances (R Ω ) and charge transfer resistances (R ct ) can be calculated, which are also presented in Table 1.…”

Section: Effect Of Electrolyte Membranementioning

confidence: 99%

Performance Investigation of Membrane Electrode Assemblies for High Temperature Proton Exchange Membrane Fuel Cell

Su¹,

Pasupathi²,

Bladergroen³

et al. 2013

JPEE

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Different types of ABPBI (poly(2,5-benzimidazole)) membranes and polymer binders were evaluated to investigate the performance of MEAs for high temperature proton exchange membrane fuel cell (HT-PEMFC). The properties of the prepared MEAs were evaluated and analyzed by polarization curve, electrochemistry impedance spectroscopy (EIS), cyclic voltammetry (CV) and durability test. The results showed that MEA with modified ABPBI membrane (AM) has satisfactory performance and durability for fuel cell application. Compare to conventional PBI or Nafion binders, polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) and polyvinylidene difluoride (PVDF) are more attractive as binders in the catalyst layer (CL) of gas diffusion electrode (GDE) for HT-PEMFC.

show abstract

Optimization of gas diffusion electrode for polybenzimidazole-based high temperature proton exchange membrane fuel cell: Evaluation of polymer binders in catalyst layer

Abstract: Optimization of gas diffusion electrode for polybenzimidazole-based high temperature proton exchange membrane fuel cell: Evaluation of polymer binder in catalyst layer.

Cited by 99 publications

References 44 publications

Power Output and Durability of Electrospun Fuel Cell Fiber Cathodes with PVDF and Nafion/PVDF Binders

Power Output and Durability of Electrospun Fuel Cell Fiber Cathodes with PVDF and Nafion/PVDF Binders

Effect of polyvinylidene difluoride in the catalyst layer on high-temperature PEMFCs

Performance Investigation of Membrane Electrode Assemblies for High Temperature Proton Exchange Membrane Fuel Cell

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About