Polymers 2012, 4(4), 1645-1656; doi:10.3390/polym4041645
Influence of Ionomer/Carbon Ratio on the Performance of a Polymer Electrolyte Fuel Cell
1
Department of Biomolecular Functional Engineering, Ibaraki University, 4-12-1 Nakanarusawa, Hitachi, Ibaraki 316-8511, Japan
2
Department of Media and Telecommunications Engineering, Ibaraki University, 4-12-1 Nakanarusawa, Hitachi, Ibaraki 316-8511, Japan
3
Department of Applied Chemistry, Toyo University, 2100 Kujirai, Kawagoe, Saitama 350-8585, Japan
4
National Institute for Material Science, 1-1 Namiki, Tsukuba, Ibaraki 305-0044, Japan
*
Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Received: 16 August 2012 / Revised: 12 November 2012 / Accepted: 13 November 2012 / Published: 20 November 2012
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Polymers for Fuel Cells & Solar Energy)
Abstract
We have used fibrous carbon materials as polymer electrolyte fuel cell (PEFC) electrodes. We have examined the influence of the ionomer/carbon ratio on the performance of the PEFCs. The Marimo carbon is a kind of carbon with a spherical shape, and consists of carbon nanofilaments. Fibrous carbon materials have large specific surface areas without fine pores. The reactant gases and generated water can easily diffuse among the nanofilaments. The ionomer plays two roles; one is a proton transfer activity, and the other is binding the catalyst electrodes. An excess ionomer interferes with the diffusion of gases. The ionomer/carbon ratio should affect the performance of the PEFC, especially at a high current density.Keywords:
polymer electrolyte fuel cell; Pt catalyst; ionomer content; carbon nanofilaments; Marimo carbon; Nafion; MEA; nanocolloidal method
This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY 3.0).
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MDPI and ACS Style
Eguchi, M.; Baba, K.; Onuma, T.; Yoshida, K.; Iwasawa, K.; Kobayashi, Y.; Uno, K.; Komatsu, K.; Kobori, M.; Nishitani-Gamo, M.; Ando, T. Influence of Ionomer/Carbon Ratio on the Performance of a Polymer Electrolyte Fuel Cell. Polymers 2012, 4, 1645-1656.
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