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Research Letter

Electrospinning deposition of poly(acrylic acid): platinum/carbon catalyst ink to enhance polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cell performance Guan Hao Chen†, Danielle Kelly†, Audrey Shine†, Zipei Liu, Likun Wang, Stoyan Bliznakov, and Miriam Rafailovich, Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, NY 11794, USA Address all correspondence to Miriam Rafailovich at [email protected] (Received 17 July 2019; accepted 16 October 2019)

Abstract Polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cells (PEMFCs) provide a renewable source of energy through the redox reaction of hydrogen and oxygen gas; however, operation relies on a costly platinum catalyst layer. This study investigates how electrospun catalyst layers may be employed to increase the surface area:volume ratio for catalysis to optimize PEMFC performance. When preparing electrospinning solutions, several base polymers were evaluated in varying concentrations to optimize fiber formation, with poly(acrylic acid) found to be preferable at a 12 wt% concentration. Ultimately, PEMFCs with electrospun catalyst layers achieved a 108% increase in power output compared to those air-sprayed.

Introduction Rising demands for renewable energy have accelerated the transition toward more sustainable methods of generating electrical power. Looking to address this demand is materials science; polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cells (PEMFCs) provide an alternative source of clean energy through the reduction– oxidation reactions of hydrogen and oxygen gas. Through the following reactions, large amounts of power are generated, leaving the water as the sole byproduct: Hydrogen oxidation reaction (anode) H2
2H+ + 2e− Oxygen reduction reaction (cathode) + 1 − 2 O2 + 2H + 2e
2H2 O Net reaction H2 + 12 O2
H2 O To increase the efficiency of fuel cells, this study applies electrospinning—a fiber fabrication technique employing an electrical current to convert semi-viscous solutions into nanofibers. In the previous research, electrospun fibers have been used in a variety of contexts, most notably in tissue scaffolding, filtration, and textile manufacturing.[1] This remarkable versatility can be attributed to their distinct physical characteristics; electrospun nanofibers have a high surface area to volume ratio and a continuous length that promotes proton conductivity and reduces nanoparticle agglomerations. Additionally, the many † These authors contributed equally to this work.

customizable parameters of electrospinning grant users precise control over fiber diameter, porosity, and alignment.[2] Due to these advantages, recent attention has turned toward electrospinning in the application of a catalyst layer to the electrodes of PEMFCs.[3] Previous studies have investigated the feasibility of electrospinning pure Nafion, a sulfonated tetrafluoroethylene-based fluoropolymer–copolymer essential to proton conductivity.[4,5] To expand on this development, this study electrospins platinum (Pt)–carbon (C) nanoparticles alongside Nafion and