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Electrospinning deposition of poly(acrylic acid): platinum/carbon catalyst ink to enhance polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cell performance

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  06 November 2019

Guan Hao Chen ,
Danielle Kelly ,
Audrey Shine ,
Zipei Liu ,
Likun Wang ,
Stoyan Bliznakov  and
Miriam Rafailovich
Guan Hao Chen
Affiliation:
Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, NY11794, USA
Danielle Kelly
Affiliation:
Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, NY11794, USA
Audrey Shine
Affiliation:
Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, NY11794, USA
Zipei Liu
Affiliation:
Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, NY11794, USA
Likun Wang
Affiliation:
Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, NY11794, USA
Stoyan Bliznakov
Affiliation:
Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, NY11794, USA
Miriam Rafailovich*
Affiliation:
Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, NY11794, USA
*
Address all correspondence to Miriam Rafailovich at miriam.rafailovich@stonybrook.edu
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Abstract

Polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cells (PEMFCs) provide a renewable source of energy through the redox reaction of hydrogen and oxygen gas; however, operation relies on a costly platinum catalyst layer. This study investigates how electrospun catalyst layers may be employed to increase the surface area:volume ratio for catalysis to optimize PEMFC performance. When preparing electrospinning solutions, several base polymers were evaluated in varying concentrations to optimize fiber formation, with poly(acrylic acid) found to be preferable at a 12 wt% concentration. Ultimately, PEMFCs with electrospun catalyst layers achieved a 108% increase in power output compared to those air-sprayed.

Type
Research Letters
Information
MRS Communications , Volume 9 , Issue 4 , December 2019 , pp. 1343 - 1348
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Copyright
Copyright © Materials Research Society 2019

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Footnotes

†

These authors contributed equally to this work.

References

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