Preparing Catalyst-coated Membrane

With fuel cell vehicles growth, as well as increased demand from other fuel cell applications (e.g. fork lifts and backup power), there will be a need to quickly translate laboratory-scale technological advances to large-scale manufacturing in order to reduce the price of fuel cell power systems and be cost competitive with other technologies. To meet this demand, understanding the science of scale-up and how the different parameters associated with large-scale processing affect the properties of coated materials and fuel cell performance will be required. Identifying the processing variables that control coated-layer properties and performance is critical for developing robust processes and controls to produce materials that meet specifications. Reliable production of high-performance electrodes will be key to controlling manufacturing costs.

Ultrasonic spray coating is a reliable and reproducible method for preparing catalyst-coated membrane and catalyst coated diffusion media electrodes. Specifically, ultrasonic spray coating builds up the catalyst layer by coating multiple thin layers over a heated substrate, resulting in rapid drying.

Fuel cell catalyst coating systems are particularly suitable for these challenging applications by creating highly uniform, repeatable and durable coatings. Ultrasonic spraying of other metal alloys, including platinum, nickel, iridium and ruthenium-based fuel cell catalyst coatings of metal oxide suspensions, can be used to manufacture PEM fuel cells, polymer electrolyte membrane (PEM) electrolyzers, and DMFC (direct methanol fuel). Battery) and SOFC (Solid Oxide Fuel Cell) can maximize load and battery efficiency.