dc.creator | Poynter, Amy Denise | |
dc.date.accessioned | 2020-08-22T20:41:43Z | |
dc.date.available | 2014-08-04 | |
dc.date.issued | 2014-08-04 | |
dc.identifier.uri | https://etd.library.vanderbilt.edu/etd-08012014-101630 | |
dc.identifier.uri | http://hdl.handle.net/1803/13776 | |
dc.description.abstract | Membrane-electrode-assemblies (MEAs) were fabricated with electrospun nanofiber electrodes containing 40% Pt/C, a binder of Nafion and poly(acrylic acid), and a Nafion 212 cation-exchange membrane. MEA performance in a hydrogen/air fuel cell was evaluated at 80°C for a range of anode Pt loadings (0.026-0.126 mgPt/cm2). In all experiments, a nanofiber cathode was used with a Pt loading of 0.10 mgPt/cm2. The electrospun anodes were evaluated to: (i) determine the effect of anode Pt loading on fuel cell performance and (ii) assess the differences in power output when the MEA utilized a conventional slurry catalyst gas diffusion anode. The maximum power density for an MEA with a gas diffusion anode was 432 mW/cm2 at 0.10 mgPt/cm2 Pt loading, whereas the maximum power density for an electrospun anode at the same Pt loading was 491 mW/cm2 (a 14% improvement) It was also found that the measured maximum power density was essentially constant for nanofiber anode Pt loadings in the range of 0.046-0.126 mgPt/cm2. Only at an anode Pt loading of 0.026 mgPt/cm2 did the observed maximum power density decrease. An electrospun anode MEA at a Pt loading of 0.046 mgPt/cm2 produced more power than an MEA with a 0.1 mgPt/cm2 Pt-loaded gas diffusion anode (488 vs. 432 mW/cm2 at maximum power). This study clearly showed that the Pt loading of a hydrogen/air fuel cell anode can be significantly reduced by using an electrospun nanofiber mat. | |
dc.format.mimetype | application/pdf | |
dc.subject | nanofibers | |
dc.subject | electrodes | |
dc.subject | electrospinning | |
dc.subject | fuel cells | |
dc.title | Electrospun Nanofiber Anodes of Low Platinum Loading for Hydrogen/Air PEM Fuel Cells | |
dc.type | thesis | |
dc.contributor.committeeMember | David Cliffel, Ph.D. | |
dc.type.material | text | |
thesis.degree.name | MS | |
thesis.degree.level | thesis | |
thesis.degree.discipline | Chemistry | |
thesis.degree.grantor | Vanderbilt University | |
local.embargo.terms | 2014-08-04 | |
local.embargo.lift | 2014-08-04 | |
dc.contributor.committeeChair | Peter Pintauro, Ph.D. | |