Method of Measuring the Diffusion Resistance of the Structures of Porous Electrode Materials Based on a Proton-Conducting Ionomer and Carbon Nanomaterials

Abstract

A method has been developed for measuring the oxygen mass-transport resistance of porous electrodes based on micro- and nanostructures of a Nafion proton-conducting ionomer, Pt/C, and carbon nanowires with the ultrahigh porosity. The method suggests measuring the limit oxygen electroreduction current density at the controlled oxygen flow through an electrochemical system and calculating the oxygen mass transport resistance using the ratio based on the Fick’s law. The method has been used to study the mass-transport loss of a membrane-electrode assembly electrode and electrode material based on a rotating disk electrode and can be applied in the development of new electrodes.