Abstract
Proton exchange membrane fuel cell (PEMFC) is considered as a new resource to replace for internal combustion due to its convenient system design and its high efficiency of energy transfer. Platinum catalyst is often used as the catalyst for PEMFC. The particle size, dispersion of Pt and its support affect the efficiency of the catalyst.In this study, platinum was dispersed on different support materials, carbon black and carbon nanotube. Three kinds of carbon nanotubes were examined. Furthermore, two reduction methods, namely, impregnation and chemical reduction were adopted to deposit platinum. Sodium borohydride and formaldehyde were used as reactants for chemical reduction. The performance of MEA with home-made anode and with commercial anode were evaluated. It was found that 5wt% platinum loading as the catalyst had the best dispersion of platinum on carbon black. For CNT supports, platinum particles were observed to deposit on the surface defect. The particle size of platinum reduced by the impregnation method was larger than that by chemical reduction. The power density of MEA with home-made anode was measured and compared that of commercial product.