TY - JOUR
T1 - Development of high-power electrodes for a liquid-feed direct methanol fuel cell
AU - Lim, C.
AU - Wang, C. Y.
N1 - Funding Information:
The authors would like to thanks Prof. Matthew M. Mench and Dr. Venkat Srinivasan of ECEC for the helpful discussions and facilities set-up. Financial support from US Department of Transportation, Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection, and National Science Foundation is gratefully acknowledged.
Copyright:
Copyright 2004 Elsevier Science B.V., Amsterdam. All rights reserved.
PY - 2003/1/1
Y1 - 2003/1/1
N2 - Based upon Nafion 112 membrane, membrane-electrode assemblies for a liquid-feed direct methanol fuel cell (DMFC) were fabricated by using a novel method of modified Nafion solution and tape-casting, with unsupported Pt-Ru as an anode catalyst and carbon supported 40wt.% Pt as a cathode catalyst. The amounts of catalyst loading were controlled to be 4mg/cm2 in the anode and 1.3mg/cm2 in the cathode. Morphological characteristics of anode and cathode were examined by scanning electron microscopy (SEM). A time-delayed activation effect was found in single cell tests and attributed to time-dependent wetting behavior of Nafion polymers within both catalyst layers. A high compression of the single cell leads to a remarkable decrease in diffusion-limiting current density, caused by hydrophilic broken fibers and cleavage-like defects generated during excessive compression of the cell. A maximum power density of 0.21W/cm2 is achieved in 2M CH3OH solution at 90°C under the operating condition of non-pressurized anode side and non-humidified air pressurized to 15psi.
AB - Based upon Nafion 112 membrane, membrane-electrode assemblies for a liquid-feed direct methanol fuel cell (DMFC) were fabricated by using a novel method of modified Nafion solution and tape-casting, with unsupported Pt-Ru as an anode catalyst and carbon supported 40wt.% Pt as a cathode catalyst. The amounts of catalyst loading were controlled to be 4mg/cm2 in the anode and 1.3mg/cm2 in the cathode. Morphological characteristics of anode and cathode were examined by scanning electron microscopy (SEM). A time-delayed activation effect was found in single cell tests and attributed to time-dependent wetting behavior of Nafion polymers within both catalyst layers. A high compression of the single cell leads to a remarkable decrease in diffusion-limiting current density, caused by hydrophilic broken fibers and cleavage-like defects generated during excessive compression of the cell. A maximum power density of 0.21W/cm2 is achieved in 2M CH3OH solution at 90°C under the operating condition of non-pressurized anode side and non-humidified air pressurized to 15psi.
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U2 - 10.1016/S0378-7753(02)00541-4
DO - 10.1016/S0378-7753(02)00541-4
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:0037215254
SN - 0378-7753
VL - 113
SP - 145
EP - 150
JO - Journal of Power Sources
JF - Journal of Power Sources
IS - 1
ER -
