One simple method to improve the mass transfer of membrane electrode assembly to realize operation under wide humidity

Abstract

To promote the development and industrialization of fuel cells, it is urgent to enhance the performance of the membrane electrode assembly (MEA) by a simple and effective method. In this article, the addition of carbon nanotubes (CNTs) @ Polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) is successfully applied to improve the performance of MEAs. It is found that an appropriate amount of CNT@PTFE can not only increase the electrochemical surface area (ECSA) of the catalyst but also reduce the ohmic resistance of the MEA. At the same time, the water management ability of MEAs under the high humidity condition can be improved. The research result shows that the performance of the MEA with 5% CNTs and 5% PTFE (1650 mA/cm2@0.6 V, 2300 mA/cm2@0.4 V, 1.02 W/cm2) is significantly improved compared to the MEA without CNTs and PTFE (1300 mA/cm2@0.6 V, 1950 mA/cm2@0.4 V, 0.87 W/cm2). This optimization method can be practically applied to improve the performance and stability of MEAs under a wide range of humidity.