Composite Cathode of a Hydrogen Fuel Cell with a High Energy Conversion Factor

Abstract

We have investigated the structural and electric characteristics of composite electrodes structure-modified by the introduction of carbon nanofibers with a high porosity and a fraction of transport pores due to the formation of Nafion proton-conducting polymer predominantly in island form. Energy losses for various compositions have been analyzed and the cathode composition has been optimized. The efficiency of the cathode process has been raised and cathode characteristics have been improved. The following characteristics of the membrane–electrode assembly were achieved: for electric efficiency of about 0.5, the specific load on the platinum was 0.1 g/kW and the maximal power density was 1 W/cm².