Tianchao Kuang , Jian Huang , Jun Li , Penglin Yang , Liang Zhang , Dingding Ye , Xun Zhu , Qiang Liao
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引用次数: 0
Abstract
Iridium oxide (IrO2) is the most successful catalyst for triggering oxygen revolution reactions in proton exchange membrane water electrolyzers (PEMWE). However, conventional ultrasonic methods for ink dispersion often result in ink instability, catalyst aggregation, and sedimentation. To address these issues, we investigate the effects of the dispersion type, treatment time, and ionomer-addition sequence on the catalytic performance. Ball-milling procedure prepares a more stable catalyst ink and achieves a larger electrochemical surface area (ECSA) than ultrasonic method. Extending the ball-milling time to 12 h improves the ink stability (absorbance change rate ∼0.6 % h−1); however, over-processing causes the thickest catalyst layer, leading to an enhanced mass transport resistance. Moreover, treating an ionomer with IrO2 causes the substitution of sulfonic acid groups by carboxylic acid groups and reduces the repulsive force in colloidal particles, resulting in poor ink stability, low proton conductivity, and small ECSA. Therefore, adding ionomer after ball milling is recommended for the preparation of a stable ink with high catalytic performance. The membrane electrode assembly prepared using this procedure exhibits an improved performance of 1.70 A cm−2 at 1.7 V, compared with that prepared using ultrasonic methods. This work provides crucial guidance of ink preparation for large-scale production of PEMWEs.
期刊介绍:
The Journal of Power Sources is a publication catering to researchers and technologists interested in various aspects of the science, technology, and applications of electrochemical power sources. It covers original research and reviews on primary and secondary batteries, fuel cells, supercapacitors, and photo-electrochemical cells.
Topics considered include the research, development and applications of nanomaterials and novel componentry for these devices. Examples of applications of these electrochemical power sources include:
• Portable electronics
• Electric and Hybrid Electric Vehicles
• Uninterruptible Power Supply (UPS) systems
• Storage of renewable energy
• Satellites and deep space probes
• Boats and ships, drones and aircrafts
• Wearable energy storage systems