Effect of Nafion® gradient in dual catalyst layer on proton exchange membrane fuel cell performance

The role of Nafion (R) binder in the electrodes was evaluated by changing its content for the membrane electrode assembly (MEA) fabrication. In the study, we prepared MEAs that have two different compositions of catalyst layers in electrodes. One layer which is close to the electrolyte membrane has the higher Nafion (R) content. The other which is near the gas diffusion media (GDM) has the lower one. Also, we changed the thickness of two layers to find the ideal composition of the binder and Pt/C in the electrode. The dual catalyst layer coated MEA showed higher cell performance at high current density region than the pristine MEA. (c) 2008 International Association for Hydrogen Energy. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.