Scitation | AIP Journals | Librarians | View MyArticles
  • Volume/Page
  • Keyword
  • DOI
  • Citation
  • Advanced
   
 
 
 

JRSE has just been upgraded with many new features, including a mobile edition. Feedback is welcome.

You are Logged In You are logged in to this journal.

J. Renewable Sustainable Energy 1, 043102 (2009); doi:10.1063/1.3167284 (11 pages)

Investigation into polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cell characteristics using four-layer electrode catalyst

Masahiro Ide 1
and Hironosuke Ikeda 2

1 Osaka Science and Technology Center, 1-8-4 Utsubo-honmachi, Nishi-ku, Osaka 550-0004, Japan Map This map
2 Graduate School of Kyushu University, 6-1 Kasuga-koen, Kasuga-shi, Fukuoka, 816-8580, Japan Map This map

Full Text: Read Online | Download PDF (594 KB) | View Cart View Items in Cart
The use of auxiliary power and the cost of using main power decrease when the reactive gas is applied at low humidity for the operation of polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cells. The electrolyte membrane and the three-phase boundary of the electrode need to be improved to maintain this low humidity. We carried out a study of the electrode catalyst at low humidity in order to improve the cathode catalyst. Carbon support with a catalyst and fluorocarbon resin were mixed and then were treated at the melting temperature of fluorocarbon resin to fabricate the cathode-electrode catalyst layer. The transmission electron microscopy images of this electrode catalyst revealed that the surfaces of the catalyst particle and the carbon support were partly coated with a thin film of melted fluorocarbon resin. Ionomer electrolyte material was added to this electrode catalyst, and an electrode catalyst with a four-layer structure was fabricated. The durability of this four-layer electrode catalyst being operated at low humidity (42% relative humidity on the anode and the cathode) was evaluated by using a cell that contained the catalyst. The results demonstrated that the rate of deterioration was smaller than that of a conventional three-layer electrode catalyst. In addition, the load change test to assess the durability of the cell (current range between 75 and 600 mA cm−2) produced good results.

© 2009 American Institute of Physics

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

A part of the present work was supported by the New Energy and Industrial Technology Development Organization (NEDO) in Japan.

Article Outline

  1. INTRODUCTION
  2. EXPERIMENTAL
    1. Materials
      1. Electrode catalyst
      2. Polymer electrolyte membrane material
      3. Ionomer
      4. Microporous gas diffusion layer and macroporous gas diffusion layer
    2. Structure of test cells
    3. Fabrication of MEA
    4. Operating conditions for durability test
      1. Standard operating conditions
      2. Low-humidity operating conditions
      3. Load change test
    5. Electrochemical measurements and analysis
  3. RESULTS AND DISCUSSION
    1. Electrode catalyst with four-layer structure
    2. Cross section of MEA and mapping of elements
    3. Performance of cells under standard operating conditions
    4. Change in active surface area of cathode catalyst
    5. Test for durability under low-humidity operating conditions
    6. Load change test
    7. Study of four-layer electrode catalyst
      1. Four-layer electrode catalyst
      2. Change in ECSA
      3. The reports from other researchers
      4. Effect of the FEP coating with the thin film
  4. CONCLUSION

RELATED ARTICLES

loading
View more related articles.

KEYWORDS and PACS

Keywords

catalysts, durability, electrochemical electrodes, electrolytes, proton exchange membrane fuel cells, resins, transmission electron microscopy

PACS

ARTICLE DATA

History
Received 24 March 2009
Accepted 10 June 2009
Published 1 July 2009
Permalink
http://link.aip.org/link/JRSEBH/v1/i4/p043102/s1

PUBLICATION DATA

ISSN:

19417012 (print)  
19417012 (online)

Publisher:

$abstract.society.value is a Member of CrossRef American Institute of Physics

  1. K. C. Neyerlin, H. A. Gasteiger, C. K. Mittelsteadt, J. Jorne, and W. Gu, J. Electrochem. Soc. 152, A1073 (2005).
  2. M. Inaba, H. Yamada, R. Umebayashi, M. Sugishita, and A. Tasaka, Electrochemistry (Tokyo, Jpn.) 75, 207 (2007).
  3. N. Yoshida, T. Ishisaki, A. Watanabe, and M. Yoshitake, Electrochim. Acta 43, 3749 (1998). [ISI]
  4. T. Yoda, H. Uchida, and M. Watanabe, Electrochim. Acta 52, 5997 (2007).
  5. M. Wakizoe, N. Miyake, and E. Honda, Proceedings of the 12th FCDIC Fuel Cell Symposium, 2005 (unpublished), p. 70 (in Japanese).
  6. T. Tada, N. Toshima, Y. Yamamoto, and M. Inoue, Electrochemistry (Tokyo, Jpn.) 75, 221 (2007). [Inspec]
  7. M. Wilson and S. Gottesfeld, J. Appl. Electrochem. 22, 1 (1992).
  8. Japan Patent Application No. 2007-190172 (in Japanese) (June 22, 2007).
  9. J. Yu, M. N. Islam, T. Mtsuura, M. Tamano, Y. Hayashi, and M. Hori, Electrochem. Solid-State Lett. 8, A320 (2005). [ISI]
  10. A. J. Bard and L. R. Faulker, Electrochemical Methods, 2nd ed. (Wiley, New York, 2001), p. 166.
  11. M. Ide, Y. Suzuki, and H. Ikeda, ECS Trans. 16, 1997 (2008).
  12. J. Zhang, Y. Tang, C. Song, Z. Xia, H. Li, H. Wang, and J. Zhang, Electrochim. Acta 53, 5315 (2008).
  13. F. -B. Weng, J. -S. Wang, and T. L. Yu, J. Chin. Inst. Chem. Eng. 39, 429 (2008). [Inspec]
  14. F. -B. Weng, B. -S. Jou, C. -W. Li, A. Su, and S. -H. Chan, J. Power Sources 181, 251 (2008). [Inspec]
  15. F. Urbani, O. Barbera, G. Giacoppo, G. Squandrito, and E. Passalacqua, Int. J. Hydrogen Energy 33, 3137 (2008). [Inspec]
  16. I. S. Hussaini and C. Y. Wang, ECS Trans. 16, 317 (2008).
  17. R. Eckl, W. Zehtner, C. Leu, and U. Wgner, J. Power Sources 138, 137 (2004).
  18. M. Ide and H. Ikeda, Proceedings of the 16th FCDIC Fuel Cell Symposium, 2009 (unpublished), p. 70 (in Japanese).

Figures (click on thumbnails to view enlargements)

FIG. 1
Composition of a single cell.
FIG. 1 View Enlargement | Download High Resolution Image (.zip file)
FIG. 2
Flow chart of MEA fabrication on decal process.
FIG. 2 View Enlargement | Download High Resolution Image (.zip file)
FIG. 3
TEM images of the catalyst: (a) before heat treatment and [(b) and (c)] after heat treatment. Scales: 200 and 20 nm.
FIG. 3 View Enlargement | Download High Resolution Image (.zip file)
FIG. 4
Image model of the cathode catalyst: (a) four-layer electrode catalyst and (b) three-layer electrode catalyst.
FIG. 4 View Enlargement | Download High Resolution Image (.zip file)
FIG. 5
Mapping images by EPMA: (a) cross section of MEA and mapping for (b) platinum, (c) ruthenium, (d) cobalt, and (e) fluorine.
FIG. 5 View Enlargement | Download High Resolution Image (.zip file)
FIG. 6
Comparison of durability of the three-layer electrode catalyst (○) and the four-layer electrode catalyst (▲) under standard operating condition, 100% RH for the anode, and 66% RH for the cathode. Current density of 300 mA cm−2 and cell temperature at 80 °C.
FIG. 6 View Enlargement | Download High Resolution Image (.zip file)
FIG. 7
Change in ECSA of the three-layer electrode catalyst (○) and the four-layer electrode catalyst (◼). Current density of 300 mA cm−2, cell temperature at 80 °C, 100% RH for the anode, and 66% RH for the cathode.
FIG. 7 View Enlargement | Download High Resolution Image (.zip file)
FIG. 8
Comparison of durability of the three-layer electrode catalyst (▲) and the four-layer electrode catalyst (○) under 42% RH for the cathode and 100% RH for the anode. Current density of 300 mA cm−2 and cell temperature at 80 °C.
FIG. 8 View Enlargement | Download High Resolution Image (.zip file)
FIG. 9
Comparison of durability of the three-layer electrode catalyst (○) and the four-layer electrode catalyst (▲) under 42% RH for both the anode and the cathode. Current density of 300 mA cm−2 and cell temperature at 80 °C.
FIG. 9 View Enlargement | Download High Resolution Image (.zip file)
FIG. 10
Variation of the cell voltage during the last 200 cycles in the load change test of the four-layer electrode catalyst. Cell temperature at 80 °C, 100% RH for the anode, and 66% RH for the cathode.
FIG. 10 View Enlargement | Download High Resolution Image (.zip file)
FIG. 11
Variation of the cell voltage in the load change test of the four-layer electrode catalyst. Cell temperature at 80 °C, 100% RH for the anode, and 66% RH for the cathode. (●) At 1.88 A (75 mA cm−2) and (○) at 15 A (600 mA cm−2).
FIG. 11 View Enlargement | Download High Resolution Image (.zip file)

Close
Close Map Window

Advertising Info

Copyright © American Institute of Physics
Rights and Permissions  |   Disclaimer   |   Subscriptions and Pricing

crossref