Novel method for preparation of PEMFC electrodes by the electrospray technique

A novel method based on the electrospray technique has been developed for the preparation of electrodes for proton exchange membrane fuel cells (PEMFC). The material obtained was characterized by different techniques, which showed both morphological and structural improvements that contribute to a better catalyst utilization compared to conventional methods. These facts were corroborated after manufacturing several membrane electrode assemblies (MEAs) with electrodes prepared by three different methods. MEAs obtained by means of the electrospray technique exhibited three times higher power density than those prepared by the impregnation method ones and eight times higher than MEAs made with electrodes prepared by the spray technique with platinum loadings of 0.5 mg cm(-2). Moreover, the power density obtained was twice better than a commercial E-TEK. This technique can be scaled up and becomes a volume production method using a low-cost process. (c) 2005 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.