Preparation and characterization of Pt direct deposition on polypyrrole modified Nafion composite membranes for direct methanol fuel cell applications

A novel method of Pt catalyst direct deposition on polypyrrole (ppy)-modified Nafion composite membranes for direct methanol fuel cell (DMFC) is proposed in this paper. Proton conductivity and methanol permeability of polypyrrole-modified Nafion composite membranes were investigated. The Pt particles were directly deposited on the PPy-modified Nafion composite membranes by using chemical reduction of platinic chloride at room temperature. Scanning electron microscopy measurements showed that Pt particles with a porous structure uniformly exist in the Pt/PPy/Nafion electrodes. The roughness factor and the active surface area of the Pt catalyst increased with increasing PPy loading. The performance of the Pt/PPy/Nafion electrodes was evaluated in a single DMFC.