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Instrument for layer-by-layer deposition of catalyst layers directly on proton exchange membrane for direct methanol
1Key Laboratory for Micro∕Nano Technology and System of Liaoning Province, Dalian University of Technology, Dalian 116024, China. d.wang@dlut.edu.cn
Abstract:
A catalyst layer (CL) layer-by-layer (LbL) deposition instrument, consisting of an electrohydrodynamic atomization (EHDA) device and a proton exchange membrane (PEM) fixing device, has been developed. It has been used to deposit anode CL on Nafion membrane under different working distances of 4, 5, and 6 mm. The incorporation of EHDA LbL deposition allowed the generation of the CLs with different structures, where the higher working distance produced more porous CL structure. A catalyst-coated membrane (CCM) was also produced using this EHDA LbL deposition and PEM fixing device. It was observed that the catalyst has been uniformly coated on the Nafion membrane and the CCM presents an uniform surface feature. The performance of a single direct methanol fuel cell (DMFC) assembled with the deposited CCM at different working temperatures was analysed. The cell performance increased when the temperature rose. This instrument has the potential of being developed into a powerful device for controlling the deposition of CL of desired structures directly on PEM for DMFCs.
