Patterned Hybrid Electrodes for Improved Fuel Cell Performance

Abstract

Abstract Polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cells (PEMFCs) present a promising zero carbon emissions alternative to internal combustion engines. However, PEMFCs face performance limitations, particularly in heavy-duty vehicle applications, largely attributed to cathode electrode inefficiencies. Conventional electrode structures often result in non-ideal tortuous pathways for oxygen (O 2 ) and protons (H + ), leading to decreased performance and durability. In this study, we present a novel hybrid electrode structure fabricated using patterned silicon (Si) templates. These templates, created via photolithography and deep-reactive ion etching, facilitate the formation of ordered plus-shaped electrode structures with uniform depth and width. Catalyst with a different ionomer loading/composition is deposited in-between the element of the plus-shaped electrode structure. The resulting novel arrangement in the hybrid electrode structure enables enhanced H + transport, due to the higher ionomer content in the plus-shaped electrode structures. Additionally, strategically placed dedicated electrode regions with lower ionomer content between the plus shaped electrodes promotes effective O 2 transport to reaction sites. We will present the fabrication process, the performance enhancement through this alternative electrode structure and its contribution to the improving the durability of the fuel cells compared to conventional electrode architectures. Acknowledgement This research was supported by the Hydrogen and Fuel Cell Technologies Office (HFTO), Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy, US Department of Energy (DOE) through the Million Mile Fuel Cell Truck (M2FCT) consortia, technology managers G. Kleen and D. Papageorgopoulos. Authors would also like to acknowledge support for this work from the Laboratory Directed Research and Development (LDRD) program at Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL) (20200200DR).

Key findings

• ▸The novel electrode structure enables enhanced proton transport due to higher ionomer content in the plus-shaped electrode structures.
• ▸Strategically placed dedicated electrode regions improve oxygen transport and reduce electrode inefficiencies.
• ▸The hybrid electrode structure shows promise for improving fuel cell performance in heavy-duty vehicle applications.

Keywords

Identifiers

DOI

10.1149/ma2024-02443029mtgabs

Journal

ECS Meeting Abstracts

Year

2024