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Published on: August 16, 2018
Rational Design of the Composite Perfluoro-Sulfonic Ionomer for High-Performance Proton Exchange Membrane Fuel Cells
Tingting Mao1, Haiyang Fan2, Youxing Liu3
1School of Materials Science and Engineering, Peking University, Beijing100871, China.
Journal of the American Chemical Society
|July 16, 2026
Summary
Researchers developed a new method to prevent platinum catalyst poisoning in proton exchange membrane fuel cells (PEMFCs). This approach uses a novel additive to enhance catalyst durability and performance, enabling more efficient low-platinum PEMFCs.
Area of Science:
- Electrochemistry
- Materials Science
- Catalysis
Background:
- Scaling proton exchange membrane fuel cells (PEMFCs) is limited by high cathodic overpotential and platinum catalyst poisoning from ionomers.
- Current methods to mitigate ionomer poisoning are empirical, lacking quantitative assessment tools.
Purpose of the Study:
- To develop quantitative assessment tools for ionomer adsorption and poisoning on platinum catalysts.
- To elucidate how cationic additives suppress platinum poisoning.
- To rationally design advanced composite ionomers for high-performance, low-platinum PEMFCs.
Main Methods:
- Developed an electrochemical probe using ionomer-coated single-crystal Pt(111) to quantify ionomer adsorption.
- Identified the correlation between cation hydration energy and ionomer adsorption.
- Synthesized a tetramethylammonium-anchored covalent organic framework (TMA+-COFs) as an ionomer additive.
- Utilized electrochemical and spectroscopic analyses to evaluate the composite ionomer layer.
Main Results:
- Quantified PFSA adsorption and identified suppression by cationic additives.
- Established an inverse correlation between cation hydration energy and PFSA adsorption.
- Demonstrated that TMA+-COFs/PFSA composite layer inhibits sulfonate adsorption and Pt poisoning via electrostatic interactions.
- Achieved 1.7- and 4-fold activity enhancement for industrial Pt/C catalysts in rotating-disk and gas-diffusion electrodes, respectively.
- Showcased a high mass activity of 1.08 A mgPt-1 in a PEMFC cathode.
Conclusions:
- The study provides a quantitative method to assess ionomer poisoning and guide the design of effective additives.
- TMA+-COFs act as an effective ionomer additive, significantly inhibiting platinum poisoning through strong electrostatic interactions.
- This work offers a new strategy for catalyst engineering via advanced composite ionomers, paving the way for high-performance, low-platinum PEMFCs.
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