Efficient and durable gas diffusion electrode for proton exchange membrane fuel cell via in-situ growth of Pt nanowires on dual microporous layer

Catalyst layer (CL) is the key factor of affecting the performance of proton exchange membrane fuel cells (PEMFCs). Herein, a facile and universal strategy is proposed to in situ grow Pt nanowires (Pt-NWs) on a dual microporous layer (MPL) as a novel CL for PEMFCs application. The dual MPL is composed of hydrophobic layer and hydrophilic layer, where the former facilitates mass transport and the latter favors the in-situ growth of PtNWs. During the whole preparation, only formic acid is used as reducing agent, no surfactants or templates are involved. The as-prepared Pt-NWs are uniformly grown on the surface of carbon particles to form a unique CL. The effect of dual MPL structure on PEMFCs performance is investigated, by which an optimal carbon powder content ratio (4:1) between hydrophobic layer and hydrophilic layer is determined. The single cell tests reveal that the Pt-specific power of the resultant MEA with 0.108 mg cm(-2) Pt-NWs is up to 7.23 W mg(-1), about twice higher than that for commercial Pt/C MEA with 0.2 mg cm(-2) Pt loading. Furthermore, the resulted GDE shows enhanced durability compared to commercial one, indicating the good potential of in-situ prepared Pt-NWs electrode for practical PEMFC applications.

Automated summary

A facile and universal strategy of in-situ growing Pt nanowires on a dual microporous layer (MPL) as a novel catalyst layer (CL) for proton exchange membrane fuel cells (PEMFCs) is proposed in this study. The effect of dual MPL structure on PEMFCs performance is investigated, showing significantly improved power output and durability.