Vertically-Oriented Polymer Electrolyte Nanofiber Catalyst Support for Fuel Cells

Abstract

This paper presents fabrication and characterization of a novel extended surface electrode with a high surface area catalyst support made of a polymer electrolyte composite. The degradation and high Pt loading of conventional carbon-supported Pt electrodes still present challenges for polymer electrolyte fuel cells (PEFCs). The electrode presented here is based on a high surface area Nafion composite membrane featuring vertically oriented nanofibers. Nanofibers were fabricated from solution casting SiO2/Nafion composite ionomer onto a porous polycarbonate template. A thin film of Pt was vacuum deposited directly on the surface of the nanofibers to form the electrode. Two different electrodes were fabricated: one with Pt sputtered onto the template before casting and the other with a non-sputtered template. Sputtered template electrode outperformed the non-sputtered template electrode. The structural and electrochemical characterizations show that this electrode is a viable approach.