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Catalyst Layer Pore Design Based on Oxygen Mean Free Path for Low-Pt HT-PEMFCs
Xiaolin Dai1, Jinwu Peng1, Dong Liu1
1Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of New Energy Materials Service Safety, Shenzhen Key Laboratory of Polymer Science and Technology, College of Materials Science and Engineering, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen, P. R. China.
Small (Weinheim an Der Bergstrasse, Germany)
|June 2, 2026
Summary
Optimizing pore size in high-temperature proton exchange membrane fuel cells (HT-PEMFCs) significantly enhances oxygen diffusion. This strategy reduces platinum loading and boosts power density for commercialization.
Area of Science:
- Electrochemistry
- Materials Science
- Chemical Engineering
Background:
- Mass transport limitations hinder high-temperature proton exchange membrane fuel cell (HT-PEMFC) performance.
- A mismatch between oxygen mean free path and catalyst layer (CL) pore size causes inefficient gas diffusion, especially at low platinum (Pt) loadings.
Purpose of the Study:
- To determine the optimal CL pore size for efficient oxygen diffusion in HT-PEMFCs operating between 100°C-200°C.
- To reduce oxygen transport resistance and enhance power density by engineering CL pore architecture.
Main Methods:
- Calculated the mean free path of oxygen within the 100°C-200°C temperature range.
- Introduced cumulative macropores into the CL using a sacrificial templating strategy.
- Investigated the impact of the mean-free-path-guided pore architecture on gas diffusion and fuel cell performance.
Main Results:
- Identified an optimal CL pore size of approximately 200 nm for efficient molecular diffusion.
- Reduced oxygen transport resistance by 61.2% at a low Pt loading (0.14 mgPt cm-2).
- Achieved peak power densities of 634 mW cm-2 (0.14 mgPt cm-2) and 920 mW cm-2 (0.43 mgPt cm-2).
Conclusions:
- A mean-free-path-guided pore architecture effectively enhances gas diffusion in HT-PEMFC CLs.
- The optimized electrode design significantly reduces Pt loading requirements, achieving a 5.8-fold enhancement in rated power density (4.53 W mgPt-1) compared to conventional CLs.
- This approach offers a promising strategy for the commercialization of HT-PEMFCs by improving efficiency and reducing costs.
