(254f) Ultra Low Loading Filtration Catalyst Layer for PEM Fuel Cells

Energy has and will be a crucial topic for present and future generations until a sustainable and reliable source has been found and put to use. Many technologies have shown merit as potential candidates for becoming a part of the future of energy. One of those technologies is fuel cells. There have been many advances in fuel cell technologies over the recent years, but there is still a need to improve the technology for its commercial implementation.

One of the critical needs for fuel cells is to reduce cost by using less Pt in the electrodes. Recently we have created fuel cells using as little as 12 ug Pt/cm2 by using Pt supported on multi-walled carbon nanotubes [1]. While this is exceptional compared to many conventional fuel cells today?which typically use 200 ug Pt/cm2 [2]?a lower loading is not the only benefit that we have been able to obtain. For example, we were able to obtain a uniform, thin, and dispersed woven catalyst matrix with improved performance as compared to platinum on Vulcan XC-72. The transport issues concerning moving the fuel gas to the catalytic sites and products away from the catalytic sites reduce to almost zero.

Fuel cell polarization curves, Tafel plots, and resistance analyses will be given to further explain the progress that has been obtained through our methodology.