Nano Architecture MEA for Next Generation Fuel Cell

May 12, 2005 By: J. Schneider et al, Nanometrix Inc.

A new method for mass production of Membrane Electrode Assembly Fuel Cell (MEAFC) is presented. The Schneider-Picard (SP) method for industrial monolayer and ultra-thin film deposition has shown a great effectiveness for the production with nano scale architecture for fuel cells. Today, MEA's are built in such a way that no control is possible at the nano scale. Nanometrix process opens a new way showing the importance on the PEM performance of the effective triple contact line made by the contact between the colloidal Nafion, the platinum nano particles and the hydrogen gas access for high efficient catalytic reaction with ultra-low platinum loading.

Nanometrix industrial monolayer allows designing the catalytic reaction surfaces. Similar performance was obtained even after reducing the platinum loading by 100X. Furthermore, platinum-carbon chunks were substituted by the Carbon Nanotubes coated with platinum. Doing so, we were able to verify that the catalytic performance was extremely dependent on the spatial organization of the nano reactors. Platinum-PEM triple contact line and gas access are all important factors that are adjusted with the SP method to web process fuel cell MEA's with innovative nano materials and architecture, deployable now.

Nanotech 2005 Conference Proceedings

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