Improvement of Cell Performance in Low-Pt-Loading PEFC Cathode Catalyst Layers with Pt/Ta-SnO₂ Prepared by the Electrospray Method

Abstract

To improve the performance of polymer electrolyte fuel cells, we focused on the catalyst material and catalyst-layer fabrication method, and prepared low Pt loading CLs with Pt/Ta-SnO₂ by the electrospray (ES) method. The performance improvement obtained by the use of the ES method can be explained by the increase of the ionomer coverage and its uniformity on the Pt/Ta-SnO₂ due to the rapid evaporation of the solution from the extremely small size ink droplet. The performance of the ES cells is high, particularly under high gas pressure conditions, because of the improved transport of both O₂ and protons. ES method is an attractive method for the reduction of the Pt loading in the future PEFCs for automobiles.