Issue 48, 2011

Degradation mitigation in PEMfuelcells using metal nanoparticle additives

Abstract

The efficacy of added freestanding and silica-supported metal (Pt, Pd, Ag, and Au) nanoparticles in mitigating polymer electrolyte membrane (PEM) degradation in an operating fuel cell was investigated. The metal nanoparticles to be added were chosen based on their ability to scavenge free radicals, as confirmed through ex situ measurements using a model free radical 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl as a test species. Composite membranes were prepared by adding 3 wt% of the freestanding or supported metal nanoparticles to Nafion®. Membrane electrode assemblies prepared using these membranes were subjected to accelerated degradation tests to determine the fluoride emission rate (FER), a key measure of the macroscopic rate of PEM degradation in an operating fuel cell. The results were as follows: the addition of Ag, Pt, Pd and Au freestanding nanoparticles lowered FER by 35%, 60%, 80% and 90%, respectively, when compared with the recast Nafion® membrane (control). In the case of silica-supported nanoparticles, more modest reductions were achieved: 40% and 60% in the case of Au on SiO2 and Pd on SiO2, respectively. Ag or Pt on SiO2 resulted in similar FER values as the control. These results suggest that the addition of selected metal nanoparticles with radical scavenging abilities is a promising approach to mitigate PEM degradation in an operating fuel cell.

Graphical abstract: Degradation mitigation in PEM fuel cells using metal nanoparticle additives

Supplementary files

Additions and corrections

Article information

Article type
Paper
Submitted
21 Aug 2011
Accepted
02 Oct 2011
First published
02 Nov 2011

J. Mater. Chem., 2011,21, 19381-19388

Degradation mitigation in PEM fuel cells using metal nanoparticle additives

P. Trogadas, J. Parrondo, F. Mijangos and V. Ramani, J. Mater. Chem., 2011, 21, 19381 DOI: 10.1039/C1JM14077A

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