On the Performance of Proton Exchange Membrane Fuel Cells with a Catalyst Layer Fabricated Using an Inorganic Dispersant with Various Ultrasonic Mixing

Wei-Hsiang Chiang; Shiow-Jyu Lin; Jong-Shinn Wu

doi:10.1021/acsomega.1c05777

On the Performance of Proton Exchange Membrane Fuel Cells with a Catalyst Layer Fabricated Using an Inorganic Dispersant with Various Ultrasonic Mixing

ACS Omega. 2022 Jun 13;7(25):21370-21377. doi: 10.1021/acsomega.1c05777. eCollection 2022 Jun 28.

Authors

Wei-Hsiang Chiang¹, Shiow-Jyu Lin¹, Jong-Shinn Wu²

Affiliations

¹ College of Photonics, National Yang Ming Chiao Tung University, Tainan 71150, Taiwan.
² Department of Mechanical Engineering, National Yang Ming Chiao Tung University, Hsinchu 30010, Taiwan.

Abstract

This study utilizes both an inorganic dispersant, montmorillonite, and an organic dispersant (AS-1164) with 1.6 and 3.2 mg_Pt/cm² platinum coatings that underwent various frequencies of ultrasonic mixing (40, 80, and 120 kHz) to fabricate proton exchange membrane fuel cells (PEMFCs). The performance of these PEMFCs was then compared. At room temperature and a hydrogen gas flow rate of 15 sccm. After undergoing 3 h of vibration at 120 kHz, the 1.6 mg_Pt/cm² platinum-coated organic sample has a power density of 3.69 mW/cm², while its inorganic counterpart has an impressive power density of 4.49 mW/cm². In addition, using the 1.6 mg_Pt/cm² platinum-coated inorganic dispersants that underwent vibration at 40 kHz, its resulting power density is only 0.95 mW/cm². This result shows that the distribution of platinum coating is more even under high-frequency vibrations than low-frequency ones.