Ultrasonic Spray Technology for Fuel Cell Applications

Ultrasonic spray coating technology has only been used for fuel cell applications in recent years. It has been demonstrated that ultrasonic spray coating is an effective way to reduce platinum loading for fuel cells. The opti-mum catalyst ink formula and platinum loading are dependent on operating conditions. In terms of cost, opti-mum platinum loadings must be considered alongside thecost of other core components. This extended cost analy-sis is a helpful approach to lower the cost of fuel cellsystems. Normally, direct methanol fuel cells and high temperature PEMFCs require more catalyst than low temperature PEMFCs. As such, ultrasonic spray coating technology has great potential for the fabrication of di-rect methanol fuel cells and high temperature PEMFCs.

Fuel Cell
Ultrasonic spray fuel cell catalyst coating system can produce highly uniform, repeatable and durable coatings. Our ultrasonic spraying can well control coating properties, significantly reduce material usage, and reduce maintenance and downtime.

Ultrasonic spray technology has emerged as a high-precision, efficient manufacturing technique that profoundly optimizes the fabrication process of modern fuel cells, especially proton exchange membrane fuel cells (PEMFCs) widely used in new energy vehicles and portable power devices. Different from traditional pressure spraying and manual coating methods, this technology relies on piezoelectric transduction to generate high-frequency ultrasonic vibrations, which break liquid catalyst slurry into uniform, micron-scale fine droplets without high-pressure gas assistance or external heating. This unique atomization mechanism fundamentally solves common defects of conventional processes, including uneven coating thickness, catalyst particle agglomeration and severe raw material waste.

In fuel cell industrial production, the core application of ultrasonic spray technology focuses on the preparation of membrane electrode assemblies (MEA), the core component determining fuel cell power performance and service life. It can precisely spray platinum-based and non-platinum catalyst slurries, as well as PTFE polymer bonding solutions, on proton exchange membranes and gas diffusion layers. The continuous ultrasonic vibration of the nozzle effectively disperses aggregated catalyst particles, forming a dense, uniform and porous catalyst layer with stable microstructure. This structure facilitates the full contact of hydrogen, oxygen and electrolytes, significantly improving electrochemical reaction efficiency and fuel cell power density.

This technology boasts prominent industrial advantages. Its self-cleaning nozzle structure effectively avoids clogging, supporting long-term stable continuous production. The material utilization rate exceeds 95%, greatly reducing the consumption of expensive precious metal catalysts and cutting production costs. In addition, it features excellent process controllability, adapting to ultra-low to industrial-scale flow rates and high-solid-content slurries. It maintains consistent coating uniformity and repeatability, realizing precise control of ultra-low platinum loading. Compared with traditional processes, ultrasonic spraying improves fuel cell stability and durability, and has become a key advanced manufacturing technology to promote the large-scale commercialization of high-efficiency, low-cost fuel cells.

About Cheersonic

Cheersonic is the leading developer and manufacturer of ultrasonic coating systems for applying precise, thin film coatings to protect, strengthen or smooth surfaces on parts and components for the microelectronics/electronics, alternative energy, medical and industrial markets, including specialized glass applications in construction and automotive.

Our coating solutions are environmentally-friendly, efficient and highly reliable, and enable dramatic reductions in overspray, savings in raw material, water and energy usage and provide improved process repeatability, transfer efficiency, high uniformity and reduced emissions.

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