TY - JOUR
T1 - Numerical analysis of silica coating effect on Pt cathode catalyst in polymer electrolyte fuel cells
AU - Park, Kayoung
AU - So, Magnus
AU - Goto, Masaki
AU - Takenaka, Sakae
AU - Tsuge, Yoshifumi
AU - Inoue, Gen
N1 - Funding Information:
is research was supported by the New Energy and Industrial Technology Development Organization (NEDO), Japan. FIB-SEM observation was supported by the Next-Generation Fuel Cell Research Center (NEXT-FC) in Kyushu University, Japan. Numerical simulation was supported by MEXT as “Program for Promoting Researches on the Supercomputer Fugaku” (Fugaku Battery & Fuel Cell Project), Grant Number JPMXP1020200301.
PY - 2021/5/20
Y1 - 2021/5/20
N2 - The effects of silica-coated Pt catalysts (SiO2/Pt/C) were investigated by experimental measurements and numerical analysis in order to obtain manufacturing guidelines by designing optimized catalyst layers (CL) for polymer electrolyte fuel cells. The silica-coated Pt catalysts with hydrophilic silica layers were experimentally prepared and measured by a single cell. Experimental results showed lower performance of SiO2/Pt/C than non-coated Pt catalysts (Pt/C) under relative humidity (RH) of 80% at 80°C. In the simulation of the SiO2/Pt/C, two parameters including the enhancement of proton conductivity and an increase in the oxygen diffusion resistance in the CL, attributed to silica layers, were added. The distribution of current density at 0.8 A/sq cm of the SiO2/Pt/C at each humidity condition (100%RH, 80%RH, 60%RH, 40%RH) was more homogeneous and reached closer to the gas diffusion layer compared to those of the Pt/C. The result indicates that it is possible to improve durability by increasing the reaction located near the polymer electrolyte membrane. For both catalysts, the overvoltages at 0.8 A/sq cm were similar to each other, except for that of proton resistance in ionomer and oxygen diffusion in the ionomer.
AB - The effects of silica-coated Pt catalysts (SiO2/Pt/C) were investigated by experimental measurements and numerical analysis in order to obtain manufacturing guidelines by designing optimized catalyst layers (CL) for polymer electrolyte fuel cells. The silica-coated Pt catalysts with hydrophilic silica layers were experimentally prepared and measured by a single cell. Experimental results showed lower performance of SiO2/Pt/C than non-coated Pt catalysts (Pt/C) under relative humidity (RH) of 80% at 80°C. In the simulation of the SiO2/Pt/C, two parameters including the enhancement of proton conductivity and an increase in the oxygen diffusion resistance in the CL, attributed to silica layers, were added. The distribution of current density at 0.8 A/sq cm of the SiO2/Pt/C at each humidity condition (100%RH, 80%RH, 60%RH, 40%RH) was more homogeneous and reached closer to the gas diffusion layer compared to those of the Pt/C. The result indicates that it is possible to improve durability by increasing the reaction located near the polymer electrolyte membrane. For both catalysts, the overvoltages at 0.8 A/sq cm were similar to each other, except for that of proton resistance in ionomer and oxygen diffusion in the ionomer.
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U2 - 10.1252/jcej.20we102
DO - 10.1252/jcej.20we102
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:85107005759
SN - 0021-9592
VL - 54
SP - 226
EP - 231
JO - JOURNAL OF CHEMICAL ENGINEERING OF JAPAN
JF - JOURNAL OF CHEMICAL ENGINEERING OF JAPAN
IS - 5
ER -