Electrospun Nanofiber Electrodes for High and Low Humidity PEMFC Operation
Abstract
Abstract MEAs with nanofiber mat electrodes containing Pt/C catalyst and Nafion binder were fabricated and evaluated. The electrodes were prepared by electrospinning a solution of catalyst powder, salt-form Nafion (with Na + , Li + , or Cs + as the sulfonic acid counterion), and a carrier polymer of either polyethylene oxide or poly(acrylic acid). The carrier polymer was extracted prior to MEA testing by a hot water soaking step. The resulting fibers were 15-17% porous, with a core-shell-like morphology (a coating of primarily Nafion on the fiber surface). MEAs with anode/cathode catalyst loadings of 0.1 mg Pt /cm 2 each and a Nafion 211 membrane produced high power at both high and low relative humidity (RH) conditions in H2/air fuel cell tests, e.g., a maximum power density of 919 mW/cm 2 at 100% RH and 832 mW/cm 2 at 40% RH for a test at 80 °C and 200 kPa abs . The presence of nm-size pores within the fibers trapped water via capillary condensation during low RH feed gas testing, thus maintaining a high proton conductivity of the Nafion binder in the anode and cathode while minimizing/eliminating ionic isolation of catalyst particles in low water content, poorly conductivemore »
- Authors:
- Publication Date:
- Research Org.:
- Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL), Oak Ridge, TN (United States)
- Sponsoring Org.:
- USDOE Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE)
- OSTI Identifier:
- 1924817
- Alternate Identifier(s):
- OSTI ID: 1923396; OSTI ID: 1986210
- Grant/Contract Number:
- AC05-00OR22725; EE0007653
- Resource Type:
- Published Article
- Journal Name:
- Journal of the Electrochemical Society
- Additional Journal Information:
- Journal Name: Journal of the Electrochemical Society Journal Volume: 170 Journal Issue: 2; Journal ID: ISSN 0013-4651
- Publisher:
- The Electrochemical Society
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
- Subject:
- 25 ENERGY STORAGE
Citation Formats
Waldrop, Krysta, Slack, John J., Gumeci, Cenk, Parrondo, Javier, Dale, Nilesh, Reeves, Kimberly Shawn, Cullen, David A., More, Karren L., and Pintauro, Peter N. Electrospun Nanofiber Electrodes for High and Low Humidity PEMFC Operation. United States: N. p., 2023.
Web. doi:10.1149/1945-7111/acb8e2.
Waldrop, Krysta, Slack, John J., Gumeci, Cenk, Parrondo, Javier, Dale, Nilesh, Reeves, Kimberly Shawn, Cullen, David A., More, Karren L., & Pintauro, Peter N. Electrospun Nanofiber Electrodes for High and Low Humidity PEMFC Operation. United States. https://doi.org/10.1149/1945-7111/acb8e2
Waldrop, Krysta, Slack, John J., Gumeci, Cenk, Parrondo, Javier, Dale, Nilesh, Reeves, Kimberly Shawn, Cullen, David A., More, Karren L., and Pintauro, Peter N. Wed .
"Electrospun Nanofiber Electrodes for High and Low Humidity PEMFC Operation". United States. https://doi.org/10.1149/1945-7111/acb8e2.
@article{osti_1924817,
title = {Electrospun Nanofiber Electrodes for High and Low Humidity PEMFC Operation},
author = {Waldrop, Krysta and Slack, John J. and Gumeci, Cenk and Parrondo, Javier and Dale, Nilesh and Reeves, Kimberly Shawn and Cullen, David A. and More, Karren L. and Pintauro, Peter N.},
abstractNote = {Abstract MEAs with nanofiber mat electrodes containing Pt/C catalyst and Nafion binder were fabricated and evaluated. The electrodes were prepared by electrospinning a solution of catalyst powder, salt-form Nafion (with Na + , Li + , or Cs + as the sulfonic acid counterion), and a carrier polymer of either polyethylene oxide or poly(acrylic acid). The carrier polymer was extracted prior to MEA testing by a hot water soaking step. The resulting fibers were 15-17% porous, with a core-shell-like morphology (a coating of primarily Nafion on the fiber surface). MEAs with anode/cathode catalyst loadings of 0.1 mg Pt /cm 2 each and a Nafion 211 membrane produced high power at both high and low relative humidity (RH) conditions in H2/air fuel cell tests, e.g., a maximum power density of 919 mW/cm 2 at 100% RH and 832 mW/cm 2 at 40% RH for a test at 80 °C and 200 kPa abs . The presence of nm-size pores within the fibers trapped water via capillary condensation during low RH feed gas testing, thus maintaining a high proton conductivity of the Nafion binder in the anode and cathode while minimizing/eliminating ionic isolation of catalyst particles in low water content, poorly conductive binder.},
doi = {10.1149/1945-7111/acb8e2},
journal = {Journal of the Electrochemical Society},
number = 2,
volume = 170,
place = {United States},
year = {Wed Feb 15 00:00:00 EST 2023},
month = {Wed Feb 15 00:00:00 EST 2023}
}
https://doi.org/10.1149/1945-7111/acb8e2
Works referenced in this record:
Ultra-Thin Reinforced Ionomer Membranes to Meet Next Generation Fuel Cell Targets
journal, October 2011
- Kienitz, Brian; Kolde, Jeff; Priester, Sarah
- ECS Transactions, Vol. 41, Issue 1
Electrospun titania-based fibers for high areal capacity Li-ion battery anodes
journal, May 2015
- Self, Ethan C.; Wycisk, Ryszard; Pintauro, Peter N.
- Journal of Power Sources, Vol. 282
Electrospun Fiber Mat Cathode with Platinum‐Group‐Metal‐Free Catalyst Powder and Nafion/PVDF Binder
journal, April 2018
- Slack, John; Halevi, Barr; McCool, Geoff
- ChemElectroChem, Vol. 5, Issue 12
Electrospun Nanofiber Electrodes for Boosted Performance and Durability at Lower Humidity Operation of PEM Fuel Cells
journal, July 2022
- Iskandarani, Bilal; Rajabalizadeh Mojarrad, Naeimeh; Yürüm, Alp
- Energy & Fuels, Vol. 36, Issue 16
Power Output and Durability of Electrospun Fuel Cell Fiber Cathodes with PVDF and Nafion/PVDF Binders
journal, January 2016
- Brodt, Matthew; Wycisk, Ryszard; Dale, Nilesh
- Journal of The Electrochemical Society, Vol. 163, Issue 5
Effects of short-side-chain perfluorosulfonic acid ionomers as binders on the performance of low Pt loading fuel cell cathodes
journal, February 2015
- Park, Young-Chul; Kakinuma, Katsuyoshi; Uchida, Hiroyuki
- Journal of Power Sources, Vol. 275
The effects of relative humidity on the performances of PEMFC MEAs with various Nafion® ionomer contents
journal, December 2010
- Kim, Kun-Ho; Lee, Kwan-Young; Lee, Sang-Yeop
- International Journal of Hydrogen Energy, Vol. 35, Issue 23
Preparation of nanofiber composite proton-exchange membranes from dual fiber electrospun mats
journal, September 2013
- Ballengee, Jason B.; Pintauro, Peter N.
- Journal of Membrane Science, Vol. 442
Electrospinning and Electrospun Nanofibers: Methods, Materials, and Applications
journal, March 2019
- Xue, Jiajia; Wu, Tong; Dai, Yunqian
- Chemical Reviews, Vol. 119, Issue 8
Activity benchmarks and requirements for Pt, Pt-alloy, and non-Pt oxygen reduction catalysts for PEMFCs
journal, March 2005
- Gasteiger, Hubert A.; Kocha, Shyam S.; Sompalli, Bhaskar
- Applied Catalysis B: Environmental, Vol. 56, Issue 1-2, p. 9-35
Nanofiber Fuel Cell MEAs with a PtCo/C Cathode
journal, January 2019
- Slack, J. J.; Gumeci, C.; Dale, N.
- Journal of The Electrochemical Society, Vol. 166, Issue 7
Essentials of High Performance Water Electrolyzers – From Catalyst Layer Materials to Electrode Engineering
journal, October 2021
- Pham, Chuyen Van; Escalera‐López, Daniel; Mayrhofer, Karl
- Advanced Energy Materials, Vol. 11, Issue 44
Relating the 3D electrode morphology to Li-ion battery performance; a case for LiFePO 4
journal, August 2016
- Liu, Zhao; Verhallen, Tomas W.; Singh, Deepak P.
- Journal of Power Sources, Vol. 324
Novel hydrophilic and hydrophobic double microporous layer coated gas diffusion layer to enhance performance of polymer electrolyte fuel cells under both low and high humidity
journal, July 2013
- Kitahara, Tatsumi; Nakajima, Hironori; Inamoto, Masaoki
- Journal of Power Sources, Vol. 234
Effect of ionomer content and relative humidity on polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cell (PEMFC) performance of membrane-electrode assemblies (MEAs) prepared by decal transfer method
journal, September 2010
- Jeon, Sunyeol; Lee, Jisun; Rios, Gema M.
- International Journal of Hydrogen Energy, Vol. 35, Issue 18
SiO2-containing catalyst layers for PEFCs operating under low humidity
journal, March 2012
- Inoue, Naoki; Uchida, Makoto; Watanabe, Masahiro
- Electrochemistry Communications, Vol. 16, Issue 1
Ultralow platinum loading for redox-flow battery by electrospinning the electrocatalyst and the ionomer in core-shell fibers
journal, March 2023
- Saadi, Kobby; Fan, Xiaozong; Hardisty, Samuel S.
- Journal of Energy Storage, Vol. 59
Electrospun Polyacrylonitrile‐Derived Co or Fe Containing Nanofibre Catalysts for Oxygen Reduction Reaction at the Alkaline Membrane Fuel Cell Cathode
journal, August 2020
- Mooste, Marek; Kibena‐Põldsepp, Elo; Vassiljeva, Viktoria
- ChemCatChem, Vol. 12, Issue 18
Fabrication, In-Situ Performance, and Durability of Nanofiber Fuel Cell Electrodes
journal, November 2014
- Brodt, Matthew; Han, Taehee; Dale, Nilesh
- Journal of The Electrochemical Society, Vol. 162, Issue 1
Low equivalent weight short-side-chain perfluorosulfonic acid ionomers in fuel cell cathode catalyst layers
journal, August 2011
- Lei, Chao; Bessarabov, Dmitri; Ye, Siyu
- Journal of Power Sources, Vol. 196, Issue 15
Electrospinning deposition of poly(acrylic acid): platinum/carbon catalyst ink to enhance polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cell performance
journal, October 2019
- Chen, Guan Hao; Kelly, Danielle; Shine, Audrey
- MRS Communications, Vol. 9, Issue 4
Electrospun Nanofiber-Based Anodes, Cathodes, and Separators for Advanced Lithium-Ion Batteries
journal, July 2011
- Zhang, Xiangwu; Ji, Liwen; Toprakci, Ozan
- Polymer Reviews, Vol. 51, Issue 3
Assembly of Pt Nanoparticles on Graphitized Carbon Nanofibers as Hierarchically Structured Electrodes
journal, September 2020
- Hodnik, Nejc; Romano, Luigi; Jovanovič, Primož
- ACS Applied Nano Materials, Vol. 3, Issue 10
Nanofiber composite membranes with low equivalent weight perfluorosulfonic acid polymers
journal, January 2010
- Choi, Jonghyun; Lee, Kyung Min; Wycisk, Ryszard
- Journal of Materials Chemistry, Vol. 20, Issue 30
Enhanced Water Management of Polymer Electrolyte Fuel Cells with Additive-Containing Microporous Layers
journal, September 2018
- Spernjak, Dusan; Mukundan, Rangachary; Borup, Rodney L.
- ACS Applied Energy Materials, Vol. 1, Issue 11
Analysis of Water Adsorption and Condensation in Catalyst Layers for Polymer Electrolyte Fuel Cells
journal, September 2014
- Mashio, Tetsuya; Sato, Kazuyuki; Ohma, Atsushi
- Electrochimica Acta, Vol. 140
Percolative model of proton conductivity of Nafion® membranes
journal, April 2008
- Costamagna, Paola; Grosso, Simone; Di Felice, Renzo
- Journal of Power Sources, Vol. 178, Issue 2
Ultra-low platinum loadings in polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cell electrodes fabricated via simultaneous electrospinning/electrospraying method
journal, October 2014
- Wang, Xuhai; Richey, Francis W.; Wujcik, Kevin H.
- Journal of Power Sources, Vol. 264
Toward Optimizing Electrospun Nanofiber Fuel Cell Catalyst Layers: Microstructure and Pt Accessibility
journal, March 2021
- Kabir, Sadia; Van Cleve, Tim; Khandavalli, Sunilkumar
- ACS Applied Energy Materials, Vol. 4, Issue 4
Experimental study of variable operating parameters effects on overall PEMFC performance and spatial performance distribution
journal, November 2016
- Zhang, Qian; Lin, Rui; Técher, Ludovic
- Energy, Vol. 115
Electrospun Particle/Polymer Fiber Electrodes with a Neat Nafion Binder for Hydrogen/Air Fuel Cells
journal, July 2019
- Waldrop, Krysta; Slack, John; Gumeci, Cenk
- ECS Transactions, Vol. 92, Issue 8
High Areal Capacity Si/LiCoO 2 Batteries from Electrospun Composite Fiber Mats
journal, March 2017
- Self, Ethan C.; Naguib, Michael; Ruther, Rose E.
- ChemSusChem, Vol. 10, Issue 8
Ultralow-loading platinum-cobalt fuel cell catalysts derived from imidazolate frameworks
journal, November 2018
- Chong, Lina; Wen, Jianguo; Kubal, Joseph
- Science, Vol. 362, Issue 6420
The electrochemical hydrogenation of edible oils in a solid polymer electrolyte reactor. II. Hydrogenation selectivity studies
journal, February 1999
- An, Weidong; Hong, Jin Ki; Pintauro, P. N.
- Journal of the American Oil Chemists' Society, Vol. 76, Issue 2
Recent advances in electrospun carbon fiber electrode for vanadium redox flow battery: Properties, structures, and perspectives
journal, December 2020
- Cheng, Dixuan; Li, Yuehua; Zhang, Jinliang
- Carbon, Vol. 170
High-Performance Nanofiber Fuel Cell Electrodes
journal, November 2011
- Zhang, Wenjing; Pintauro, Peter N.
- ChemSusChem, Vol. 4, Issue 12
Relative Humidity Dependence of Pt Utilization in Polymer Electrolyte Fuel Cell Electrodes: Effects of Electrode Thickness, Ionomer-to-Carbon Ratio, Ionomer Equivalent Weight, and Carbon Support
journal, January 2011
- Shinozaki, Kazuma; Yamada, Haruhiko; Morimoto, Yu
- Journal of The Electrochemical Society, Vol. 158, Issue 5
Nanofiber Electrodes with Low Platinum Loading for High Power Hydrogen/Air PEM Fuel Cells
journal, January 2013
- Brodt, Matthew; Wycisk, Ryszard; Pintauro, Peter N.
- Journal of The Electrochemical Society, Vol. 160, Issue 8
Exploring the Impact of Electrode Microstructure on Redox Flow Battery Performance Using a Multiphysics Pore Network Model
journal, January 2019
- Sadeghi, Mohammad Amin; Aganou, Mehrez; Kok, Matthew
- Journal of The Electrochemical Society, Vol. 166, Issue 10
Application of electrospinning for the fabrication of proton-exchange membrane fuel cell electrodes
journal, June 2020
- Waldrop, Krysta; Wycisk, Ryszard; Pintauro, Peter N.
- Current Opinion in Electrochemistry, Vol. 21