Abstract
Ink preparation for PEMFC electrode fabrication usually involves catalyst powder Teflon (PTFE) as a binder Glycerin as a suspension agent and water Recently reported work has cited the use of combinations of Polyethylene Oxide (PEO) and Poly methyl methacrylate (PMMA) and PEO-PMMA-Phosphoric acid as PEMFC electrolytes. In this paper the novel and beneficial use of solutions of PEO as a suspension agent in the preparation of PEMFC electrodes is reported for the first time.
Porous carbon electrodes were prepared by proprietary spraying and screen printing techniques using PEO in the ink formulations. Evaluation of the electrodes was carried out in mono cells using serpentine graphite current collectors with humidified hydrogen and non-humidified oxygen gases at 80degreesC 1bar (g) pressure. High current densities (similar to1.4Acm(-2)) were achieved at a cell voltage of 0.5V using a daily start and stop (DSS) routine. The physical characterization of the electrodes (PIXE, EDX, SEM) and electrochemical characterization such as polarization, and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) are presented.