Electro-spinnability study of polymer slurry system for proton exchange membrane fuel cell

Abstract

The electro-spinnability of catalyst slurry determines fabrication availability and the catalyst layer's quality. It was affected by the ink composition, ambient condition, and electrospinning parameters. Abnormal electrospinning behaviors, including blocking, dripping, dripping with spinning, semi-floating fibers, and standing fibers, were observed under the unfavorable combination of the factors. The high blocking frequency can be avoided by using a slurry with higher ionomer content, lower solid content and smaller average particle size. Dripping and dripping with electrospinning phenomena can be solved by restricting the applied voltage above 10 kV. Semi-floating fibers can be avoided by limiting the ambient temperature between 20-30°C and relative humidity between 15-25%. Standing fibers can be prevented by restricting the total applied voltage (the difference between the positive voltage on the needle and the negative voltage on the drum) to a level lower than 15 kV.