Fuel cell electrodes using carbon nanostructures

The use of carbon nanotubes (SWNT, MWNT, and aligned CNT) for low and intermediate temperature fuel cells has been investigated with thin film CNT/Pt-electrodes of(1<d<10 mu m). For membrane electrode assembly (MEA) the electrodes were combined either with Nafion (R) 117 or polycarbonate (PC) membranes wetted with H3PO4. The fuel cell characteristics of the CNT-based MEAs were determined at atmospheric pressure. different catalyst concentrations (Pt) and temperatures (RT<T<150 degrees C). The performance is competitive to well-established phosphoric acid (PAFCs) or polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cell (PEMFC), e.g. PBI/H3PO4. Liquid state processing of CNTs allows flexible electrode design and opens new ways for integrated and significantly mass-/volume-reduced fuel cell electrodes with high saving potential for catalyst and carbon material. Microsized high performance power supplies and battery chargers for consumer electronics are the most promising applications. (C) 2008 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.