Development of anion-conducting ionomer binder solutions for electrodes of solid alkaline fuel cells

For solid alkaline fuel cell applications, membrane-electrode assemblies (MEAs) should be prepared. Thus, in this study, anion-conducting ionomer binder was prepared for electrodes of MEAs. Specifically, we synthesized water soluble anionic binder solutions based on quaternized chitosan derivatives (QCDs) and cross-linked QCDs and prepared a novel electrode. The electrochemical and physicochemical properties of ionomer binder and electrode were investigated by FT-IR, NMR and ionic conductivity. The ionic conductivity of these cross-linked QCDs was 9.7 x 10(-3) S cm(-1) in deionized water at room temperature. The membrane electrode assemblies (MEAs) were prepared by a spray method and were investigated in terms of cyclic voltammetry, impedance and fuel cell performance. The MEA with the 35 wt% QCD ionomer showed the highest performance and confirmed the successful formation of ionomer binder at the electrode of the MEA by the on-site crosslinking reaction.