Graphene as catalyst support: The influences of carbon additives and catalyst preparation methods on the performance of PEM fuel cells

The reduction of the platinum amount for efficient PEM (polymer electrolyte membrane) fuel cells was achieved by the use of graphene/carbon composites as catalyst support. The influences of the carbon support type and also of the catalyst preparation method on the fuel cell performance were investigated with electrochemical, spectroscopic and microscopic techniques. Using pure graphene supports the final catalyst layer consists of a dense and well orientated roof tile structure which causes strong mass transport limitations for fuels and products. Thus the catalysts efficiency and finally the fuel cell performance were reduced. The addition of different carbon additives like carbon black particles or multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNT) destroys this structure and forms a porous layer which is very efficient for the mass transport. The network structure of the catalyst layer and therefore the performance depends on the amount and on the morphology of the carbon additives. Due to optimizing these parameters the platinum amount could be reduced by 37% compared to a commercial standard system.