Aging gracefully? Investigating iridium oxide ink's impact on microstructure, catalyst/ionomer interface, and PEMWE performance

Lyu, Xiang; Foster, Jayson; Rice, Robin; Padgett, Elliot; Creel, Erin B.; Li, Jianlin; Yu, Haoran; Cullen, David A.; Kariuki, Nancy N.; Park, Jae Hyung; Myers, Deborah J.; Mauger, Scott; Bender, Guido; Pylypenko, Svitlana; Serov, Alexey

doi:10.1016/j.jpowsour.2023.233503

Aging gracefully? Investigating iridium oxide ink's impact on microstructure, catalyst/ionomer interface, and PEMWE performance

Journal Article · Thu Aug 17 00:00:00 EDT 2023 · Journal of Power Sources

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jpowsour.2023.233503· OSTI ID:1996694

Lyu, Xiang ^[1]; Foster, Jayson ^[2]; Rice, Robin ^[3]; Padgett, Elliot ^[3]; ^[1]; ^[1]; ^[4]; ^[4]; Kariuki, Nancy N. ^[5]; Park, Jae Hyung ^[5]; Myers, Deborah J. ^[5]; Mauger, Scott ^[3]; Bender, Guido ^[3]; Pylypenko, Svitlana ^[2]; ^[1]

Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL), Oak Ridge, TN (United States)
Colorado School of Mines, Golden, CO (United States)
National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), Golden, CO (United States). Chemistry and Nanoscience Center
Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL), Oak Ridge, TN (United States). Center for Nanophase Materials Sciences (CNMS)
Argonne National Laboratory (ANL), Argonne, IL (United States)

Here, in this study, we conducted a thorough investigation of the impact of aging iridium oxide (IrO₂) perfluorosulfonic acid ionomer ink for up to 14 days on the properties of the ink and the resulting catalyst layers. We examined ink properties, such as zeta potential, dynamic light scattering (DLS), density, surface tension, and rheology, as functions of ink aging time. To evaluate the microstructure and catalyst/ionomer interface, we employed transmission electron microscopy (TEM), X-ray scattering, and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) techniques. Furthermore, we assessed the effect of ink aging on the performance of proton exchange membrane water electrolyzers (PEMWEs). Our findings reveal that most ink properties remain stable for 14 days. The variations in PEMWE cell performance are minimal, and no clear trend is observed in relation to ink aging time. This study demonstrates that the effects of aging the inks for 14 days on ink properties, catalyst layer structure, catalyst/ionomer interface, and PEMWE performance are negligible, indicating a substantial time window after ink preparation without any significant changes in its properties. These insights provide crucial guidance for the commercial production and coating processes of ink, which is necessary for scaling up PEM technologies to meet future demand.

View Accepted Manuscript (DOE)

Research Organization:: Argonne National Laboratory (ANL), Argonne, IL (United States); National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), Golden, CO (United States); Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL), Oak Ridge, TN (United States)

Sponsoring Organization:: National Science Foundation (NSF); USDOE Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE), Office of Sustainable Transportation. Hydrogen Fuel Cell Technologies Office (HFTO); USDOE Office of Science (SC), Basic Energy Sciences (BES). Scientific User Facilities (SUF)

Grant/Contract Number:: AC02-06CH11357; AC05-00OR22725; AC36-08GO28308; EE0008836

OSTI ID:: 1996694

Alternate ID(s):: OSTI ID: 2374995
OSTI ID: 2000014

Report Number(s):: NREL/JA--5900-87463

Journal Information:: Journal of Power Sources, Journal Name: Journal of Power Sources Vol. 581; ISSN 0378-7753

Publisher:: ElsevierCopyright Statement

Country of Publication:: United States

Language:: English

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Aging effect
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aging effect
iridium oxide
microstructure and interface of catalyst/ionomer

Aging gracefully? Investigating iridium oxide ink's impact on microstructure, catalyst/ionomer interface, and PEMWE performance

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