Key Materials and Components of Fuel Cell
Polymer electrolyte membrane (PEM) fuel cell is a hot spot in the application research of fuel cell vehicles. PEM fuel cells are made of several layers of different materials. The core of PEM fuel cell is membrane electrode assembly (MEA), including membrane, catalyst layer and gas diffusion layer (GDLs). The hardware assembly used for one means incorporating into the fuel cell includes a gasket, which provides a seal to prevent leakage of gas, and a dual phase steel plate, which is used to assemble a personal PEM fuel cell with a fuel cell stack and to provide a channel for gas fuel and air.
Catalyst is one of the key materials of fuel cells. its role is to reduce the activation energy of the reaction, promote the redox process of hydrogen and oxygen on the electrode, and improve the reaction rate. The oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) is the control step of the total reaction of fuel cells due to the low exchange current density. At present, the commercial catalyst commonly used in fuel cells is Pt/C, a supported catalyst that is dispersed from Pt nanoparticles onto carbon powder (such as XC-72).
Proton exchange membrane is a kind of polymer electrolyte membrane, which plays an important role in conducting protons, isolating cathode and anode reactants in fuel cells. It is also used as a catalyst support when preparing CCM membrane electrodes. It is the core device of fuel cells, and also a key component to determine the performance, life and cost of fuel cells. In practical applications, proton exchange membranes are required to have high proton conductivity and good chemical and mechanical stability.
Membrane electrode assembly (MEA) is a combination of membrane, catalytic layer and diffusion layer, and is also one of the core components of fuel cells.
The function of fuel cell bipolar plate is to conduct electrons, distribute reaction gas and assist in discharging generated water. The bipolar plate material is required to be a good conductor of electricity and heat, with certain strength and gas compactness; In terms of stability of performance, the bipolar plate is required to have corrosion resistance in the fuel cell acid (pH=2~3), potential (~1.1 V), damp heat (gas water two-phase flow,~80 ℃) environment, and be compatible with other components and materials of the fuel cell without pollution, and have certain hydrophobicity to assist in the discharge of water generated by the battery; From the aspect of productization, bipolar plate materials should be easy to process and low in cost. Bipolar plate materials commonly used in fuel cells include hard carbon plate, composite bipolar plate and metal bipolar plate.
Fuel cell stack is the core of fuel cell power generation system. Generally, in order to meet certain power and voltage requirements, the stack is usually composed of hundreds of single cells in series, while the reaction gas, generated water, refrigerant and other fluids usually flow through each single cell in parallel or in a specially designed way (such as series and parallel). The homogeneity of fuel cell stack is an important factor that restricts the performance of fuel cell stack.
Cheersonic’s fuel cell catalyst coating systems are uniquely suited for these challenging applications by creating highly uniform, repeatable, and durable coatings. Using the company’s patented ultrasonic spray head technology, it can spray uniformly and efficiently on proton exchange membranes and gas diffusion layers. Uniform catalyst coatings are deposited onto PEM fuel cells, GDLs, electrodes, various electrolyte membranes, and solid oxide fuel cells with suspensions containing carbon black inks, PTFE binder, ceramic slurries, platinum and other precious metals. Other metal alloys, including Platinum, Nickel, Ir, and Ru-based fuel cell catalyst coatings of metal oxide suspensions can be sprayed using ultrasonics for manufacturing PEM fuel cells, polymer electrolyte membrane (PEM) electrolyzer, DMFCs (Direct Methanol Fuel Cells) and SOFCs (Solid Oxide Fuel Cells) to create maximum load and high cell efficiency.
The advantages of Cheersonic’s ultrasonic equipment include：
1.Very high Platinum utilization proven in MEA fabrication; as high as 90%.
2.Non-clogging
3.Low-flow spray reduces spillage and air pollution.
4.Continuous or intermittent operation possible
5.Highly porous coatings are extremely durable, preventing cracking or peeling of catalyst layer.
6.No moving parts to wear out
7.Minimal maintenance and downtime.
8.Robust design and materials resist corrosion.
9.Ultrasonic energy disperses the agglomerated particles, producing a homogeneous coating.
Chinese Website: Cheersonic Provides Professional Coating Solutions
