Performance enhancement of polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cell by employing line-patterned Nafion membrane

On purpose to enhance the performance of polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cell, micrometer- to nanometer-scale line patterns were introduced onto the electrolyte membrane using thermal imprint lithography. Single cell performance test and electrochemical analysis were conducted for the membrane electrode assembly containing patterned and pristine Nafion membranes. At a cell voltage of 0.6 V, current density of the single cells containing micro-patterned membrane was larger by as large as 30% than that of the single cell containing untreated membrane. The performance enhancement appeared to result from the enlarged membrane/catalyst interfacial area. The performance of single cell containing nano-patterned membrane was lower than that containing pristine membrane, which is due to the poor interfacial contact between large catalyst particles and small gaps of the pattern.