Effect of Ionomer Content in Anode and Cathode Catalyst Layers on Direct Methanol Fuel Cell Performance

Abstract The influence of ionomer content on the performance of direct methanol fuel cells (DMFC) is studied. The performance is studied as a function of the (nafion/carbon, N/C) ratio on the anode and cathode. The performance of the DMFC has been found to increase as a function of the N/C ratio. The ionomer content seems to influence the catalyst layer resistance in the anode and cathode and also the methanol oxidation potential on the anode. On the cathode, catalyst utilisation is seen to be affected by the ionomer content. Cyclic voltammetry (CV) is used to study the effect of ionomer content on Platinum (Pt) utilisation on the cathode. Theoretical calculations are used to study the catalyst layer resistance on the anode and cathode as a function of ionomer content. Findings indicate that ionomer content plays only a partial role in characterising the performance of a DMFC.