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. 2018 Aug 14;8(1):12082.
doi: 10.1038/s41598-018-30215-0.

Studies on structure property relations of efficient decal substrates for industrial grade membrane electrode assembly development in pemfc

Sri Harsha Akella  1 , Ebenezer D  1 , Sai Siddhardha R S  1 , Alkesh Ahire  1 , Nawal Kishor Mal  2
Affiliations

Studies on structure property relations of efficient decal substrates for industrial grade membrane electrode assembly development in pemfc

Sri Harsha Akella et al. Sci Rep. .

Abstract

Electrode fabrication and membrane electrode assembly (MEA) processes are critical steps in polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cell (PEMFC) technology. The properties of decal substrate material are important in decal coating technique for efficient transfer of catalyst layer. In the present study, MEAs are fabricated in decal method using 6 different decal substrates among which polypropylene (PP) is found ideal. Morphological, thermal, spectroscopic and sessile drop measurements are conducted for 6 decal substrates to evaluate the thermal and physicochemical properties. Studies indicate PP is thermally stable at hot-press conditions, having optimal hydrophobicity that hinders the coagulation of catalyst ink slurry cast. The pristine PP film has been identified to showcase 100% transfer yield onto the Nafion membrane without contamination and delamination of catalyst layer from membrane. The PP based MEAs are evaluated underconstant current mode in a hydrogen-oxygen fuel cell test fixture. The performance is found to be of 0.6 V at a constant current density of 1.2 A.cm-2. Besides, the cost of PP-film is only 7.5% of Kapton-film, and hence the current research work enables the high throughput electrode fabrication process for PEMFC commercialization.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no competing interests.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Schematic representation of physicochemical interaction between the PP and PTFE decal films with Nafion based catalyst layer after hot-pressing of the MEA.
Figure 2
Figure 2
DSC curves for different substrates (a) PP, (b) LDPE, (c) Si-PET (d) RPTFE (e) Teflon (f) Kapton, inset shows DSC profile of Nafion.
Figure 3
Figure 3
FTIR measurement of different substrates (a) PP, (b) Cellophane tape, (c) Si-PET (d) LDPE.
Figure 4
Figure 4
Chemical structures of (a) Polypropylene (PP), (b) Polyethylene (PE), (c) Polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE), (d) Nafion.
Figure 5
Figure 5
Contact angle measurement with water using Olympus microscope for (a) PP, (b) LDPE, (c) Si-PET (d) Kapton (e) RPTFE (f) Teflon.
Figure 6
Figure 6
(a) Decal substrate with catalyst coating before hot-press (b) Geometry of the MEA prepared using decal method via hot-press (c) Decal substrate after complete transfer of catalyst layer on to the Nafion after hot-press.
Figure 7
Figure 7
SEM images of (a) Cross section of MEA, Surface morphologies of catalyst layer on the MEA at different magnifications (b) 300x (c) 600x (d) 1200x magnification.
Figure 8
Figure 8
Single cell PEM fuel cell of J&M catalyst with PP substrate.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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