• Journal of Hydrogen and New Energy
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• v.21 no.6
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• pp.540-546
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• 2010

In order to confirm the effect of Nafion ionomer content in catalyst layer on the performance of PEMFC, we have fabricated several electrodes which were prepared by varying the quantity of Nafion ionomer from 24 wt.% to 39 wt.% in catalyst layer. The effect of Nafion ionomer of each electrode was evaluated with cyclic voltammetry measurement. In addition, cell performance was obtained through single cell test using hydrogen and air. The Pt utilization and performance of single cell were changed by addition of Nafion ionomer to the electrode. Single cell fabricated with 33 wt.% of Nafion ionomer in catalyst layer showed the maximum Pt utilization and performance.

• 한국신재생에너지학회:학술대회논문집
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• 2011.05a
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• pp.95.2-95.2
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• 2011

In order to achieve high performance and low cost for commercial applications, the development of membrane electrode assemblies (MEA), in which the electrochemical reactions actually occur, must be optimized. Expensive platinum is currently used as an electrochemical catalyst due to its high activity. Although various platinum alloys and non-platinum catalysts are under development, their stabilities and catalytic activities, especially in terms of the oxygen reduction (ORR), render them currently unsuitable for practical use. Therefore, it is important to decrease platinum loading by optimizing the catalysts and electrode microstructure. In this study, we prepared several different MEAs (non-uniform Nafion$^{(R)}$ ionomer loading electrode) which have dual catalyst layers to find the optimal Nafion$^{(R)}$ ionomer distribution in the electrodes. We changed Nafion$^{(R)}$ ionomer content in the layers to find the ideal composition of the binder and Pt/C in the electrode. For MEAs with various ionomer contents in the anodes and cathodes, the electrochemical activity (activation overpotential) and the mass transport properties (concentration overpotential) were analyzed and correlated with the single cell performance. The dual catalyst layers MEA showed higher cell performance than uniformly fabricated MEA, especially at the high current density region.

• Korean Membrane Journal
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• v.10 no.1
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• pp.46-52
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• 2008

Optimization of ionomer solution was conducted in order to improve the performance of MEAs in PEMPC. The interface between membrane and electrodes in MEAs is crucial region determining fuel cell performance as well as ORR reaction at cathode. Through the modification of Nafion ionomer content at the interface between membrane and electrodes, an optimal content was obtained with Nafion 115 membranes. Two times higher current density was obtained with the outer Nafion sprayed MEA compared with the non-sprayed one. In addition, the symmetrical impedance spectroscopy mode (SM) exhibited that the resistances of membrane area, proton hydration, and charge transfer decreased as the outer Nafion is sprayed. From the polarization curves and SM, the highest current density and the lowest resistance was obtained at the outer ionomer content of $0.15\;mg\;cm^{-2}$.

• Proceedings of the Membrane Society of Korea Conference
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• 1993.10a
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• pp.26-29
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• 1993

Perfluorosulfonate Ionomer는 다음과 같은 화학구조를 갖고 있으며(그림 1) 대표적인 예는 DuPont사의 Nafion이다. Nafion은 불소화합물의 고유한 특성 때문에 내약품성과 내용매성이 뛰어나다. Nafion막의 sulfonic acid기를 EDA로 치환하므로써 이산화탄소 및 메탄의 혼합물 분리에서 이산화탄소의 촉진수송현상을 발견하였으며, 매체의 종류에 따른 촉진수송현상에 대한 영향을 연구하였다. 투과도를 증가시키기 위해서는 이산화탄소의 투과도가 가장 우수한 매체 즉 메탄을 사용해야하나 촉진수송효과는 대신 매우적다. 그리고 선택도를 증가시키기 위해서는 이산화탄소와 운반체인 EDA와의 산-염기의 친화력을 극대화 시킬 수 있는 매체인 물을 사용하여야 한다.

• Journal of the Korean Electrochemical Society
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• v.14 no.1
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• pp.50-55
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• 2011

To enhance the performance of a MEA (membrane electrode assembly) in a polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cell (PEMFC), optimum contents of Nafion ionomer as electrolyte in the 20 and 40 wt% Pt/C used in electrodes were examined. Variety characterization techniques were applied to examine optimum Nafion contents: cell performance test, electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS), and cyclic voltammetry (CV). According to Pt wt% supported on carbon support, it has been observed that polarization, ohmic, and mass transfer resistances were changed so that the cell performance was significantly dependent on the content of Nafion ionomer. Optimum Nafion ionomer contents in the 20 wt% Pt/C and 40 wt% Pt/C were showed 35 wt% and 20 wt%, respectively. This is due to different surface area of the Pt/C catalyst, and formation of triple phase boundary seems to be affected by the Nafion contents.

• Journal of Hydrogen and New Energy
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• v.23 no.2
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• pp.125-133
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• 2012

Nafion ionomer located in electrode helps to increase the platinum utilization and proton conductivity. To achieve higher performance in PEMFCs, it is important an optimum Nafion content in the electrode. As the platinum loading and fabricated method depend on the optimum Nafion content. In this study, we have examined the interrelationship between platinum loading and Nafion content fabricated by decal transfer method. For electrodes with 0.25 and 0.4 mg/$cm^2$ Pt loading, best performance was obtained at 25 wt.% Nafion ionomer loading. It is also found that MEA with 0.25 mg/$cm^2$ Pt, the optimum Nafion content appears differently at low and high current density.

• Journal of the Korean Magnetic Resonance Society
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• v.13 no.2
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• pp.135-142
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• 2009

$^{195}Pt$ NMR measurements were performed to deduce the variation of local density of states at the Fermi energy ($E_F$-LDOS) at the surface of carbonsupported Pt catalysts due to the addition of $Nafion^{(R)}$ ionomer in the metalelectrode-assembly for fuel cells. The results showed that the EF-LDOS at the surface of Pt particles was enhanced by the addition of $Nafion^{(R)}$ ionomers whereas it was uninfluenced in the inner (bulk) part of the Pt particles. This suggests that the effects of ionomers on the electronic states of the Pt particle surface are related to the electrochemical activity of the catalysts.

• 한국신재생에너지학회:학술대회논문집
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• 2011.11a
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• pp.87.1-87.1
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• 2011

For commercial applications, MEA development must be optimized in order to achieve high performance and low cost. There are many factors that affect the performance of MEA. Especially, the optimization of the method for preparing catalyst layer has great effect on the performance of MEA. Various methods have been used to prepare the catalyst layer of MEA. Among them, spraying method has a merit in that catalysis lay can be prepared with very flexible changes in catalyst layer as well as in the solvent composition of catalyst ink. In addition, in order to reduce the time required for manufacturing catalyst layer, an effort has been made to change the nozzle size and injection pressure of spray system. Further, the operation condition of spray system was changed in various ways in an effort to prepare optimum catalyst layer of MEA. Having optimized the operation condition of spraying system, comprehensive and diverse experiments were carried out concerning various factors that affect the performance of MEA. The present research report describes the results of more sub-categorized and more detailed experiments about the important factors (Nafion$^{(R)}$ ionomer, Relative humidity) which have been shown in previous experiments to exert greater effect on the performance of MEA.

• Journal of Hydrogen and New Energy
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• v.22 no.5
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• pp.569-578
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• 2011

The $SiO_2$ membranes for polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cell (PEMFC) are preapared by electrospinning method. It leads to high porosity and surface area of membrane to accommodate the proton conducting materials. The composite membrane was prepared by impregnating of Nafion ionomer into the pores of electrospun $SiO_2$ membranes. The $SiO_2$:heteropolyacid (HPA) nano-particles as a inorganic proton conductor were prepared by microemulsion process and the particles are added to the Nafion ionomer. The characterization of the membranes was confirmed by field emission scanning electron microscope (FE-SEM), thermogravimetry analysis (TGA), and single cell performance test for PEMFC. The Nafion impregnated electrospun $SiO_2$ membrane showed good thermal stability, satisfactory mechanical properties and high proton conductivity. The addition of the $SiO_2$:HPA nano-particle improved proton conductivity of the composite membrane, which allow further extension for operation temperature in low humidity environments. The composite membrane exhibited a promising properties for the application in high temperature PEMFC.

• 한국신재생에너지학회:학술대회논문집
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• 2009.06a
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• pp.415-417
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• 2009

A low temperature decal (LTD) transfer method is tried to fabricated hydrocarbon (HC) membrane based MEA. Sandwiched structures of outer ionomer/catalyst/carbon coating/substrate, which had been developed for Nafion membrane, are used for transfer of catalyst to the HC membrane. Performances of the HC MEA before and after 500hr continuous operation are compared and it is found that a severe delamination occurs at the interface between the HC membrane and the catalyst layer, which is the main reason of the low performance and its degradation. The delamination is due probably to the different nature of HC membrane to the Nafion ionomer. A substitutional method, therefore, is suggested to overcome this. In such a way, the outer ionomer process is removed and the low transfer rate of catalyst by skipping the ionomer process is compensated with optimization of other process variables such as transfer time or temperature. The resulting performance is superior to the original LTD method, which can be explained in terms of low resistive components both in ohmic and kinetic.