Composite Carbon Nanotube Microsphere Coatings for Use as Electrode Supports

Carbon nanotubes and titania, highly corrosion-resistant materials, are successfully assembled into high surface area microparticles (162 m(2) g(-1)) in one step using low-power ultrasound. The composite microparticles are electrically conductive (>0.4 S cm(-1)). The microparticles are deposited as an electrical layer (<2.5 mu m) on a stainless-steel mesh gas diffusion layer using a tribochemical coating technique. Long-term durability testing in 0.5 m H2SO4 at 80 degrees C confirms the corrosion resistance of the catalyst coating. This coating method may have wider applicability for other electrical and electrochemical devices that require thin corrosion-resistant coatings.