Development of a low temperature decal transfer method for the fabrication of proton exchange membrane fuel cells

Abstract

Proton exchange membrane fuel cell (PEMFC) has reached the stage of early commercialization, with attention now focused on manufacturing process. In this study decal transfer as the common method of PEMFC fabrication is investigated systematically, and an effective low temperature decal transfer method (LTDM) is developed without using any chemical reagents, breaking layers, and high hot press temperatures. It is shown that this LTDM results in complete catalyst transfer yield from the decal substrate to the membrane without the formation of Nafion outer layer and delamination between the catalyst layer and membrane. Further, catalyst transfer yield is influenced by the type of substrate material, the deposition of the extra Nafion layer, and the hot press conditions. Among the seven inert substrates studied, fluorinated ethylene propylene (FEP) is shown to be the best due to its lower friction coefficient and lower contact angle (for the hydrofluoropolymers). The performance of the resulting PEMFCs is compared with the recent developments in low temperature decal method under the same fabrication and testing conditions, facilitating a solid comparison of the various methods.