Fabrication and Performance of Different Structural Cathode Catalyst Layers by EHDA Deposition for DMFC

Abstract

In this work, electrohydrodynamic atomization Layer‐by‐Layer deposition was used to deposit cathode catalyst layers (CLs) at different working distances of 3, 5, and 7 mm. The influence of working distance on the structural characteristics of cathode CLs was analyzed. The cyclic voltammograms of the cathode electrodes with different structures and the performance of the assembled membrane‐electrode assemblies (MEAs) were examined. It was observed that the cathode CLs presented well‐packed and porous features. The dispersity of the deposited catalyst and the thickness of cathode CL increased with higher working distance, which resulted in larger electrochemical active surface area (ESA), higher performance of the assembled MEAs and higher catalyst utilization. The ESA increased by approximately 70% when the cathode CL produced at the working distance of 7 mm compared with that at 3 mm. The peak power density of 56.1 mW cm–2 and the peak cathode catalyst specific power of 140.3 mW mg–1 Pt were obtained when the cathode CLs produced at the working distance of 7 mm.