Effect of sulfonated carbon nanofiber-supported Pt on performance of Nafion®-based self-humidifying composite membrane for proton exchange membrane fuel cell

In the present study, the Nafion®-based self-humidifying composite membrane (N-SHCM) with sulfonated carbon nanofiber-supported Pt (s-Pt/CNF) catalyst, N-s-Pt/CNF, is successfully prepared using the solution-casting method. The scanning electron microscopy-energy dispersive spectroscopy (SEM-EDS) images of N-s-Pt/CNF indicate that s-Pt/CNF is well dispersed in the Nafion® matrix due to the good compatibility between Nafion® and s-Pt/CNF. Compared with those of the non-sulfonated Pt/CNF-containing N-SHCM, N-Pt/CNF, the properties of N-s-Pt/CNF, including electronic resistivity, ion-exchange capacity (IEC), water uptake, dimensional stability, and catalytic activity, significantly increase. The maximum power density of the proton exchange membrane fuel cell (PEMFC) fabricated with N-s-Pt/CNF operated at 50 °C under dry H2/O2 condition is about 921 mW cm−2, which is approximately 34% higher than that with N-Pt/CNF.