Issue 1, 2019, Issue in Progress

Probing of complex carbon nanofiber paper as gas-diffusion electrode for high temperature polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cell

Abstract

The development of fuel cells is an important part of alternative energy studies. High-temperature polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cell (HT-PEMFC) is a very promising and commercialized type of fuel cell since it allows the use of hydrogen contaminated with CO. However, current advances in HT-PEMFC are based on searching for more sustainable materials for the membrane electrode assembly. The key issue is to find new, more stable carbonaceous Pt-electrocatalyst supports instead of the traditional carbon black powder. In the present study, we primarily demonstrate a new electrode design concept. Complex carbon nanofiber paper (CNFP) electrodes, obtained by polyacrylonitrile (PAN) electrospinning with further pyrolysis at 900–1200 °C, are suitable for platinum deposition and were probed as the gas-diffusion electrode for HT-PEMFC. Complex composite electrodes were obtained by introducing zirconium and nickel salts into the electrospinning PAN solution. After pyrolysis, ZrOx and Ni(0) nanoparticles were distributed in the CNFP throughout the whole nanofiber volume, as it is seen in the high-resolution transmission electron microscopy images. The samples were thoroughly studied by X-ray photoelectron, Raman and impedance spectroscopy, cyclic voltammetry, and elemental analysis. The MEAs designed on platinized composite CNFPs demonstrate higher performance at 180 °C compared to non-composite ones and are comparable with commercial Celtec® P1000.

Graphical abstract: Probing of complex carbon nanofiber paper as gas-diffusion electrode for high temperature polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cell

Supplementary files

Article information

Article type
Paper
Submitted
28 Aug 2018
Accepted
07 Dec 2018
First published
10 Jan 2019
This article is Open Access
Creative Commons BY-NC license

RSC Adv., 2019,9, 257-267

Probing of complex carbon nanofiber paper as gas-diffusion electrode for high temperature polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cell

I. I. Ponomarev, Kirill M. Skupov, A. V. Naumkin, V. G. Basu, O. M. Zhigalina, D. Y. Razorenov, I. I. Ponomarev and Y. A. Volkova, RSC Adv., 2019, 9, 257 DOI: 10.1039/C8RA07177B

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