Reconfiguring Ionomers in Proton Exchange Membrane Fuel Cell Catalyst Layer to Promote Multi‐Species Transport and Durability
Abstract
Abstract In proton exchange membrane fuel cells (PEMFCs), ionomers in the catalyst layer tend to align lamellar to the catalyst surface, impeding the formation of continuous ionic domains essential for efficient proton transport. This alignment also obstructs oxygen diffusion to the catalyst‐liquid‐gas three‐phase boundary (TPB), which critically limits the PEMFC's power density. Here, we introduce porous graphene‐based nanosheet@Nafion composite ionomers that reconfigure ion transport domains and gas channels at the nanoscale within the catalyst layer. These composite ionomers dramatically enhance proton transport (5.0‐fold) and oxygen diffusion (3.3‐fold), increasing rated power density by 1.70 times and peak power density by 1.48 times compared to Nafion‐based fuel cells. Furthermore, they demonstrate significant durability improvements during accelerated stress tests. This strategy provides an effective approach to optimizing microstructures and constructing efficient multi‐species transport pathways at the TPB, highlighting their potential for maximizing the performance of advanced high‐activity electrocatalytic materials in PEMFCs.
Article Details
Authors (13)
Feiyu Yue
Ministry of Education Key Laboratory of Cluster Science, Beijing Key Laboratory of Photoelectronic/Electrophotonic Conversion Materials, Frontiers Science Center for High Energy Materials, School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Advanced Technology Research Institute (Jinan), Advanced Research Institute of Multidisciplinary Science
Jianwei Yang
Frontiers Science Center for High Energy Material, Advanced Technology Research Institute (Jinan), Key Laboratory of Cluster Science, Ministry of Education, Beijing Key Laboratory of Photoelectronic/Electrophotonic Conversion Materials, School of Interdisciplinary Science, School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering
Qianli Ma
Key Laboratory of Cluster Science Ministry of Education, Beijing Key Laboratory of Photoelectronic/Electrophotonic Conversion Materials, Frontiers Science Center for High Energy Material, Advanced Technology Research Institute (Jinan), School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering
Wenhan Sheng
Ministry of Education Key Laboratory of Cluster Science Frontiers Science Center for High Energy Material Advanced Technology Research Institute (Jinan) Beijing Key Laboratory of Photoelectronic/Electrophotonic Conversion Materials School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering Beijing Institute of Technology No. 5, South Street, Zhongguancun, Haidian District Beijing 100081 China
Chengqiu Li
Ministry of Education Key Laboratory of Cluster Science Frontiers Science Center for High Energy Material Advanced Technology Research Institute (Jinan) Beijing Key Laboratory of Photoelectronic/Electrophotonic Conversion Materials School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering Beijing Institute of Technology No. 5, South Street, Zhongguancun, Haidian District Beijing 100081 China
Xianghao Han
Ministry of Education Key Laboratory of Cluster Science Frontiers Science Center for High Energy Material Advanced Technology Research Institute (Jinan) Beijing Key Laboratory of Photoelectronic/Electrophotonic Conversion Materials School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering Beijing Institute of Technology No. 5, South Street, Zhongguancun, Haidian District Beijing 100081 China
Wenli Xu
Hubei Key Laboratory of Intelligent Vision Based Monitoring For Hydroelectric Engineering College of Materials and Chemical Engineering China Three Gorges University Yichang China
Chao Sun
Center for Combustion Energy, Department of Energy and Power Engineering, and Key Laboratory for Thermal Science and Power Engineering of Ministry of Education
Shuang Zhao
Ministry of Education Key Laboratory of Cluster Science, Beijing Key Laboratory of Photoelectronic/Electrophotonic Conversion Materials, Frontiers Science Center for High Energy Materials, School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Advanced Technology Research Institute (Jinan), Advanced Research Institute of Multidisciplinary Science
Junwen Zhou
Department School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering Beijing Institute of Technology Beijing P.R. China
Bo Wang
Jie Li
Xiao Feng
Frontiers Science Center for High Energy Material, Advanced Technology Research Institute (Jinan), Key Laboratory of Cluster Science (Ministry of Education), Beijing Key Laboratory of Intelligent Molecular Materials and High-Throughput Manufacturing, School of Interdisciplinary Science, School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering