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Ning F, Qin J, Dan X, Pan S, Bai C, Shen M, Li Y, Fu X, Zhou S, Shen Y, Feng W, Zou Y, Cui Y, Song Y, Zhou X. Nanosized Proton Conductor Array with High Specific Surface Area Improves Fuel Cell Performance at Low Pt Loading. ACS NANO 2023; 17:9487-9500. [PMID: 37129062 DOI: 10.1021/acsnano.3c01690] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/03/2023]
Abstract
The use of ordered catalyst layers, based on micro-/nanostructured arrays such as the ordered Nafion array, has demonstrated great potential in reducing catalyst loading and improving fuel cell performance. However, the size (diameter) of the basic unit of the most existing ordered Nafion arrays, such as Nafion pillar or cone, is typically limited to micron or submicron sizes. Such small sizes only provide a limited number of proton transfer channels and a small specific area for catalyst loading. In this work, the ordered Nafion array with a pillar diameter of only 40 nm (D40) was successfully prepared through optimization of the Nafion solvent, thermal annealing temperature, and stripping mode from the anode alumina oxide (AAO) template. The density of D40 is 2.7 × 1010 pillars/cm2, providing an abundance of proton transfer channels. Additionally, D40 has a specific area of up to 51.5 cm2/cm2, which offers a large area for catalyst loading. This, in turn, results in the interface between the catalyst layer and gas diffusion layer becoming closer. Consequently, the peak power densities of the fuel cells are 1.47 (array as anode) and 1.29 W/cm2 (array as cathode), which are 3.3 and 2.9 times of that without array, respectively. The catalyst loading is significantly reduced to 17.6 (array as anode) and 61.0 μg/cm2 (array as cathode). Thus, the nanosized Nafion array has been proven to have high fuel cell performance with low Pt catalyst loading. Moreover, this study also provides guidance for the design of a catalyst layer for water electrolysis and electrosynthesis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fandi Ning
- School of Nano Technology and Nano Bionics, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei 230026, China
- Division of Advanced Nanomaterials, Suzhou Institute of Nano-tech and Nano-bionics, Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), Suzhou 215123, China
| | - Jiaqi Qin
- State Key Laboratory of Fine Chemicals, School of Chemical Engineering, Dalian University of Technology, Dalian, Liaoning 116024, China
| | - Xiong Dan
- School of Nano Technology and Nano Bionics, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei 230026, China
- Division of Advanced Nanomaterials, Suzhou Institute of Nano-tech and Nano-bionics, Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), Suzhou 215123, China
| | - Saifei Pan
- School of Nano Technology and Nano Bionics, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei 230026, China
- Division of Advanced Nanomaterials, Suzhou Institute of Nano-tech and Nano-bionics, Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), Suzhou 215123, China
| | - Chuang Bai
- School of Nano Technology and Nano Bionics, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei 230026, China
- Division of Advanced Nanomaterials, Suzhou Institute of Nano-tech and Nano-bionics, Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), Suzhou 215123, China
| | - Min Shen
- School of Nano Technology and Nano Bionics, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei 230026, China
- Division of Advanced Nanomaterials, Suzhou Institute of Nano-tech and Nano-bionics, Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), Suzhou 215123, China
| | - Yali Li
- School of Nano Technology and Nano Bionics, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei 230026, China
- Division of Advanced Nanomaterials, Suzhou Institute of Nano-tech and Nano-bionics, Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), Suzhou 215123, China
| | - Xuwei Fu
- School of Nano Technology and Nano Bionics, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei 230026, China
- Division of Advanced Nanomaterials, Suzhou Institute of Nano-tech and Nano-bionics, Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), Suzhou 215123, China
| | - Shi Zhou
- School of Nano Technology and Nano Bionics, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei 230026, China
- Division of Advanced Nanomaterials, Suzhou Institute of Nano-tech and Nano-bionics, Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), Suzhou 215123, China
| | - Yangbin Shen
- Division of Advanced Nanomaterials, Suzhou Institute of Nano-tech and Nano-bionics, Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), Suzhou 215123, China
| | - Wei Feng
- State Key Laboratory of Fluorinated Functional Membrane Materials, Shandong Dongyue Polymer Material Co., Ltd., Zibo 256401, China
| | - Yecheng Zou
- State Key Laboratory of Fluorinated Functional Membrane Materials, Shandong Dongyue Polymer Material Co., Ltd., Zibo 256401, China
| | - Yi Cui
- School of Nano Technology and Nano Bionics, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei 230026, China
- Vacuum Interconnected Workstation, Suzhou Institute of Nano-tech and Nano-bionics, Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), Suzhou 215123, China
| | - Yujiang Song
- State Key Laboratory of Fine Chemicals, School of Chemical Engineering, Dalian University of Technology, Dalian, Liaoning 116024, China
| | - Xiaochun Zhou
- School of Nano Technology and Nano Bionics, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei 230026, China
- Division of Advanced Nanomaterials, Suzhou Institute of Nano-tech and Nano-bionics, Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), Suzhou 215123, China
- Key Lab of Nanodevices and Applications, Suzhou Institute of Nano-Tech and Nano-Bionics, Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), Suzhou 215123, China
- Key Laboratory of Precision and Intelligent Chemistry, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, Anhui 230026, China
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Cui R, Li S, Yu C, Zhou Y. The Evolution of Hydrogen Bond Network in Nafion via Molecular Dynamics Simulation. Macromolecules 2023. [DOI: 10.1021/acs.macromol.2c02106] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/15/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Rui Cui
- School of Chemistry & Chemical Engineering, Frontiers Science Center for Transformative Molecules, Shanghai Key Laboratory of Electrical Insulation and Thermal Aging, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, 800 Dongchuan Road, Shanghai 200240, China
| | - Shanlong Li
- School of Chemistry & Chemical Engineering, Frontiers Science Center for Transformative Molecules, Shanghai Key Laboratory of Electrical Insulation and Thermal Aging, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, 800 Dongchuan Road, Shanghai 200240, China
| | - Chunyang Yu
- School of Chemistry & Chemical Engineering, Frontiers Science Center for Transformative Molecules, Shanghai Key Laboratory of Electrical Insulation and Thermal Aging, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, 800 Dongchuan Road, Shanghai 200240, China
| | - Yongfeng Zhou
- School of Chemistry & Chemical Engineering, Frontiers Science Center for Transformative Molecules, Shanghai Key Laboratory of Electrical Insulation and Thermal Aging, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, 800 Dongchuan Road, Shanghai 200240, China
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Mensharapov RM, Ivanova NA, Spasov DD, Grigoriev SA, Fateev VN. SAXS Investigation of the Effect of Freeze/Thaw Cycles on the Nanostructure of Nafion® Membranes. Polymers (Basel) 2022; 14:polym14204395. [PMID: 36297973 PMCID: PMC9607153 DOI: 10.3390/polym14204395] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/22/2022] [Revised: 10/14/2022] [Accepted: 10/15/2022] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
In this study, we performed small-angle X-ray scattering (SAXS) to investigate the structure of Nafion® membranes. The effect of freeze/thaw (F/T) cycles (from ambient temperature down to −40 °C) on the membrane nanostructure was considered for the first time. The SAXS measurements were taken for different samples: a commercial Nafion® 212 membrane swollen in water and methanol solution, and a water-swollen silica-modified membrane. The membrane structure parameters were obtained from the measured SAXS profiles using a model-dependent approach. It is shown that the average radius of water channels (Rwc) decreases during F/T cycles due to changes in the membrane structure as a result of ice formation in the pore volume after freezing. The use of water-methanol solution (methanol content of 20 vol.%) for the membrane soaking prevents changes in the membrane structure during F/T cycles compared to the water-swollen membrane. Modification of the membrane surface with silica (SiO2 content of 20 wt.%) led to a redistribution of water in the membrane volume and resulted in a decrease in Rwc. However, Rwc for the modified membrane did not decrease with the increasing number of F/T cycles due to the involvement of SiO2 in the sorption of membrane water and, therefore, the prevention of ice formation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ruslan M. Mensharapov
- National Research Center “Kurchatov Institute”, 1, Akademika Kurchatova sq., 123182 Moscow, Russia
- Correspondence:
| | - Nataliya A. Ivanova
- National Research Center “Kurchatov Institute”, 1, Akademika Kurchatova sq., 123182 Moscow, Russia
| | - Dmitry D. Spasov
- National Research Center “Kurchatov Institute”, 1, Akademika Kurchatova sq., 123182 Moscow, Russia
- National Research University “Moscow Power Engineering Institute”, 14, Krasnokazarmennaya st., 111250 Moscow, Russia
| | - Sergey A. Grigoriev
- National Research Center “Kurchatov Institute”, 1, Akademika Kurchatova sq., 123182 Moscow, Russia
- National Research University “Moscow Power Engineering Institute”, 14, Krasnokazarmennaya st., 111250 Moscow, Russia
- HySA Infrastructure Center of Competence, Faculty of Engineering, North-West University, Potchefstroom 2531, South Africa
| | - Vladimir N. Fateev
- National Research Center “Kurchatov Institute”, 1, Akademika Kurchatova sq., 123182 Moscow, Russia
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Guan P, Lei J, Zou Y, Zhang Y. Improved Thermo-Mechanical Properties and Reduced Hydrogen Permeation of Short Side-Chain Perfluorosulfonic Acid Membranes Doped with Ti 3C 2T x. MATERIALS (BASEL, SWITZERLAND) 2021; 14:7875. [PMID: 34947468 PMCID: PMC8703456 DOI: 10.3390/ma14247875] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/18/2021] [Revised: 12/09/2021] [Accepted: 12/16/2021] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
Abstract
Benefiting from its large specific surface with functional -OH/-F groups, Ti3C2Tx, a typical two-dimensional (2D) material in the recently developed MXene family, was synthesized and used as a filler to improve the properties of the short side-chain (SSC) perfluorosulfonic acid (PFSA) proton exchange membrane. It is found that the proton conductivity is enhanced by 15% while the hydrogen permeation is reduced by 45% after the addition of 1.5 wt% Ti3C2Tx filler into the SSC PFSA membrane. The improved proton conductivity of the composite membrane could be associated with the improved proton transport environment in the presence of the hydrophilic functional groups (such as -OH) of the Ti3C2Tx filler. The significantly reduced hydrogen permeation could be attributed to the incorporation of the impermeable Ti3C2Tx 2D fillers and the decreased hydrophilic ionic domain spacing examined by the small angle X-ray scattering (SAXS) for the composite membrane. Furthermore, improved thermo-mechanical properties of the SSC/Ti3C2Tx composite membrane were measured by dynamic mechanical analyzer (DMA) and tensile strength testing. The demonstrated higher proton conductivity, lower hydrogen permeation, and improved thermo-mechanical stability indicate that the SSC/Ti3C2Tx composite membranes could be a potential membrane material for PEM fuel cells operating above the water boiling temperature.
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Affiliation(s)
- Panpan Guan
- Center of Hydrogen Science, School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai 200240, China; (P.G.); (J.L.)
| | - Jianlong Lei
- Center of Hydrogen Science, School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai 200240, China; (P.G.); (J.L.)
| | - Yecheng Zou
- Dongyue Future Hydrogen Energy Materials Company, Zibo 256401, China;
| | - Yongming Zhang
- Center of Hydrogen Science, School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai 200240, China; (P.G.); (J.L.)
- State Key Laboratory of Fluorinated Functional Membrane Materials, Zibo 256401, China
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