Structural modification of electrode for anion exchange membrane fuel cell by controlling ionomer dispersion

An appropriate electrode microstructure design should be necessary to achieve high-performance anion exchange membrane fuel cells (AEMFCs). In general, the electrodes are fabricated from catalyst slurries which contain self-assembled agglomerates of catalyst particles with ionomer dispersed in a solvent. Therefore, solvent nature greatly affects the microstructure of the electrode, such as the pore structure and the formation of triple-phase boundaries for electrochemical reactions. Here, we investigate the influence of solvent on the microstructure of I2 ionomer-based electrode and its performance using three alcohol-based solvents (ethanol, 2-propanol, and 2-methyl-2-propanol [tBuOH)) with different dielectric constants and similar boiling points. Various physical and electrochemical characterization confirmed that the electrode pore structure changes significantly depending on the typ…