Synthesis of Membrane-Electrode Assembly for Fuel Cells by Means of (Sub)-Atmospheric Plasma Processes

• Published in: Plasma processes and polymers Vol. 9; no. 11-12; pp. 1144 - 1153
• Main Authors: Merche, Delphine, Dufour, Thierry, Hubert, Julie, Poleunis, Claude, Yunus, Sami, Delcorte, Arnaud, Bertrand, Patrick, Reniers, François
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Weinheim WILEY-VCH Verlag 01.12.2012; WILEY‐VCH Verlag; Wiley Subscription Services, Inc; Wiley-VCH Verlag
• Subjects: Chemical Sciences; dielectric barrier discharges (DBD); Engineering Sciences; Material chemistry; Membranes; metal nanoparticles; PEMFC; Physics; Plasma; Plasma Physics; plasma polymerization; Plasmas; Polymers; sulfonated polystyrene
• ISSN: 1612-8850; 1612-8869
• DOI: 10.1002/ppap.201100208

An easy procedure to build up membrane‐electrode assemblies for applications dedicated to miniaturized PEMFC using H2 or CH3OH by a two‐steps atmospheric plasma process is reported. Firstly, catalyst nanoparticles are grafted on carbon substrates by spraying a Pt colloidal solution in the post‐discharge of an RF atmospheric plasma torch. In the second step, the resulting decorated electrodes are covered by plasma synthesized polymeric membranes in the discharge of a DBD. The sulfonated polystyrene membranes are synthesized by injecting simultaneously styrene and trifluoromethanesulfonic acid monomers, in the presence of a carrier gas (Ar or He). The membranes are chemically characterized by XPS, ToF‐SIMS, and FTIR (IRRAS) and their deposition rate is investigated by SEM. In order to develop membrane electrode assembly for PEMFC, thermally stable pp‐sulfonated polystyrene are synthesized by DBD directly on carbon substrates decorated with Pt nanoparticles. The carbon substrates are decorated by spraying a platinum colloidal solution in the post‐discharge of an atmospheric plasma‐torch. This two‐steps plasma process could constitute an alternative approach for the synthesis of fuel cells.