Porosimetric study of catalyst layer of polymer electrolyte fuel cell (PEFC)

The cathode in a polymer electrolyte fuel cell (PEFC) contributes the largest energy loss due to the slow kinetics of the oxygen reduction reaction (ORR). This issue can be addressed by either developing new noble catalysts for the ORR or increasing catalyst utilization. One effective way to increase catalyst utilization is to increase the pore volume and porosity of the catalyst layer so that the catalyst clusters are maximally exposed to gas reactants. Here, we report our study on the porosimetry of the cathode catalyst layer made with the ultra-thin film catalyst layer technique which was developed by Mahlon Wilson in our group, the effect of the making process of this membrane electrode assembly (MEA) on the porosimetric profile of catalyst layers, and the correlation of the porosimetry with the performance of the catalyst layers.