Abstract
Polymer-electrolyte-membrane fuel cells (PEMFCs) hold great promise for applications in clean energy conversion, but cost and durability continue to limit commercialization. This work presents a new class of catalyst/electrode architecture that does not rely on Pt particles or carbon supports, eliminating the primary degradation mechanisms in conventional electrodes, and thereby enabling transformative durability improvements. The coaxial nanowire electrode (CANE) architecture consists of an array of vertically aligned nanowires, each comprising an ionomer core encapsulated by a nanoscale Pt film. This unique design eliminates the triple-phase boundary and replaces it with two double-phase boundaries, increasing Pt utilization. It also eliminates the need for carbon support and ionomer binder, enabling improved durability and faster mass transport. Fuel cell membrane electrode assemblies based on CANEs demonstrate extraordinary durability in accelerated stress tests (ASTs), with only 2% and 5% loss in performance after 5000 support AST cycles and 30000 catalysts AST cycles, respectively. The high power density and extremely high durability provided by CANEs can enable a paradigm shift from random electrodes based on unstable platinum nanoparticles dispersed on carbon to ordered electrodes based on durable Pt nanofilms, facilitating rapid deployment of fuel cells in transportation and other clean energy applications.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Article number | 2301264 |
| Journal | Advanced Materials |
| Volume | 35 |
| Issue number | 39 |
| DOIs | |
| State | Published - Sep 27 2023 |
Funding
This work was supported by the U.S. Department of Energy Hydrogen and Fuel Cell Technologies Office (DOE‐HFTO) through the Million Mile Fuel Cell Truck consortium, with support from technology managers Greg Kleen and Dimitrios Papageorgopoulos. Financial support for this work was also provided by the Laboratory Directed Research and Development (LDRD) program at Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL) under project 20200200DR. Electron microscopy was conducted as part of a user project at the Center for Nanophase Materials Sciences (CNMS), which is a US Department of Energy, Office of Science User Facility at Oak Ridge National Laboratory. This work was performed, in part, at the Center for Integrated Nanotechnologies, an Office of Science User Facility operated by the U.S. Department of Energy Office of Science. Los Alamos National Laboratory, an affirmative action‐equal opportunity employer, is managed by Triad National Security, LLC for the U.S. Department of Energy's NNSA, under contract 89233218CNA000001. The perspectives expressed in the article do not represent the views of LANL, the DOE, or the U.S. Government. This work was supported by the U.S. Department of Energy Hydrogen and Fuel Cell Technologies Office (DOE-HFTO) through the Million Mile Fuel Cell Truck consortium, with support from technology managers Greg Kleen and Dimitrios Papageorgopoulos. Financial support for this work was also provided by the Laboratory Directed Research and Development (LDRD) program at Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL) under project 20200200DR. Electron microscopy was conducted as part of a user project at the Center for Nanophase Materials Sciences (CNMS), which is a US Department of Energy, Office of Science User Facility at Oak Ridge National Laboratory. This work was performed, in part, at the Center for Integrated Nanotechnologies, an Office of Science User Facility operated by the U.S. Department of Energy Office of Science. Los Alamos National Laboratory, an affirmative action-equal opportunity employer, is managed by Triad National Security, LLC for the U.S. Department of Energy's NNSA, under contract 89233218CNA000001. The perspectives expressed in the article do not represent the views of LANL, the DOE, or the U.S. Government.
Keywords
- catalyst layers
- fuel cells
- ionomer nanowires
- structured electrodes
- thin-film catalysts
