Abstract
The thermal behaviour of electrode materials during heat treatment from 250–400 °C was studied. The cathode performance changed by two steps depending on temperature of the heat treatment. At the first step (300–320 °C), polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) melted unexpectedly, giving hydrophobic character to the catalyst layer. This change drastically improved the cathode performance. At the second step (340–400 °C), support carbon was oxidized by catalytic action of platinum, increasing the PTFE content from 45 to 83 wt %. This caused a gradual decline in the cathode performance. The poor cell performance of the electrode treated below 300 °C is due to the fact that PTFE is not melted at that temperature. Triton X-100 used as a surfactant in the PTFE dispersion disappeared completely from the electrode at these temperatures by oxidation, catalysed by platinum.
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