Journal of the Korean Society for Precision Engineering (한국정밀공학회지)

Korean Society for Precision Engineering (한국정밀공학회)
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Geometrically Inhomogeneous Random Configuration Effects of Pt/C Catalysts on Catalyst Utilization in PEM Fuel Cells

연료전지 촉매층 내 촉매활성도에 대한 탄소지지 백금 촉매의 기하학적 비등방성 효과에 관한 연구

  • Shin, Seungho (Division of Mechanical Engineering, Hanyang University) ;
  • Kim, Ah-Reum (Division of Mechanical Engineering, Hanyang University) ;
  • Jung, Hye-Mi (Division of Mechanical Engineering, Hanyang University) ;
  • Um, Sukkee (Division of Mechanical Engineering, Hanyang University)
  • Received : 2014.05.02
  • Accepted : 2014.08.26
  • Published : 2014.10.01
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Abstract

Transport phenomena of reactant and product are directly linked to intrinsic inhomogeneous random configurations of catalyst layer (CL) that consist of ionomer, carbon-supported catalyst (Pt/C), and pores. Hence, electrochemically active surface area (ECSA) of Pt/C is dominated by geometrical morphology of mass transport path. Undoubtedly these ECSAs are key factor of total fuel cell efficiency. In this study, non-deterministic micro-scale CLs were randomly generated by Monte Carlo method and implemented with the percolation process. To ensure valid inference about Pt/C catalyst utilization, 600 samples were chosen as the number of necessary samples with 95% confidence level. Statistic results of 600 samples generated under particular condition (20vol% Pt/C, 30vol% ionomer, 50vol% pore, and 20nm particle diameter) reveal only 18.2%~81.0% of Pt/C can construct ECSAs with mean value of 53.8%. This study indicates that the catalyst utilization in fuel cell CLs cannot be identical notwithstanding the same design condition.

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