Influence of Solvents on Catalyst Layer Performance in Proton Exchange Membrane Water Electrolysis and Fuel Cells

Abstract

Proton exchange membrane (PEM) water electrolysis (WE) and fuel cells (FCs) stand out as promising technologies for hydrogen generation and utilization, leveraging renewable and sustainable energy sources. A pivotal element in both PEMFC and PEMWE is the membrane-electrode assembly (MEA), comprising catalyst layers (CLs) and a membrane. These CLs facilitate electrochemical reactions at the anode and cathode, crucial for both oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) and hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) in PEMWE and PEMFC. The catalyst ink for CLs consists of electrocatalyst, ionomer dispersion, and additional solvents. Among these components, the choice of solvent significantly influences PEMFC and PEMWE performance, shaping the catalyst ink's properties. In this investigation, we formulated ionomer dispersions for CLs to enhance performance in PEMWE and PEMFC. We scrutinized the effects of solvents in terms of solvation energy, thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), particle size distribution (PSD), and electrochemical assessment. Acknowledgments This research was supported in part by the New and Renewable Energy of the Korea Institute of Energy Technology Evaluation and Planning (KETEP) granted financial resource from the Ministry of Trade, Industry & Energy, Republic of Korea (No. 20213030040520) and by 2021 Green Convergence Professional Manpower Training Program of the Korea Environmental Industry and Technology Institute funded by the Ministry of Environment.

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Identifiers

DOI

10.1149/ma2024-02282188mtgabs

Journal

ECS Meeting Abstracts

Year

2024