Composition dependence of the pore structure and water transport of composite catalyst layers for polymer electrolyte fuel cells

The material distribution, porous features, and ionomer behavior in the catalyst layer (20wt% platinum on Vulcan carbon impregnated with Nafion) of polymer electrolyte fuel cells were investigated by microscopy, nitrogen adsorption, and water uptake as a function of ionomer loading or relative humidity. As revealed by microscopy, thin ionomer coverage along the carbon surface is observed when ionomer loading is low, while for higher loading, the pore spaces among the carbon agglomerates were mostly flooded. Even at a low ionomer to carbon ratio, the micro-porosity is closed off and the BET surface area decreases by more than 50%. At 100% relative humidity, the water content in the ionomer within the I/C = 0.5 catalyst layer reaches only 4 water molecules per sulfonate, presumably due to the inhibition of swelling by the carbon filler. The resulting structures and properties in the catalyst layer induce a tortuous pathway for water or proton transport in the ionomer phase, particularly at low water content. A distinct feature is observed in the catalyst layers using differential scanning calorimetry (DSC). DSC measurements on the sub-components lead us to conclude that the feature reflects interactions between the ionomer and the carbon or the Pt particles.