Microwave-assisted synthesis of PTFE/C nanocomposite for polymer electrolyte fuel cells

Carbon black supported polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE/C) nanocomposite is synthesized by an intermittent microwave irradiation (IMI) method for polymer electrolyte fuel cells (PEFC), using PTFE emulsion as the precursor. The synthesized PTFE/C composite is characterized by uniformly distributed and nano-sized PTFE/C particles without additional high temperature treatment and mechanical milling under liquid nitrogen frozen conditions. Incorporation of the PTFE/C nanocomposite into a Pt/C/Nafion catalyst significantly enhances the mass transportation of the catalyst layer without any adverse effect on the electrocatalytic activity of the Pt catalysts. The power output of the cell with a Pt/C/Nafion-PTFE/C composite cathode is 0.66 W cm(-2), which is 32% higher than that of the cell with a Pt/C/Nafion cathode without the incorporation of the PTFE/C nanocomposite. (C) 2006 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.