| Abstract: | Perfluorosulfonated ionomer (PFSI) dispersions in various solvents, usually mixtures of organic compounds and water, were used to prepare the membrane‐electrode system in polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cells (PEMFC), the aim being to increase performance by improving the triple contact of graphite (electron conducting material), Pt (hydrogen dissociation catalyst) and ionomeric membrane (proton conducting). When using PFSI dispersions in water‐organic solvent mixture, care must be taken not to poison the Pt catalyst through organic decomposition products, a consequence of the thermal treatment of the electrode‐polymer system bonded with PFSI dispersion. In the present study some procedures for preparing Nafion water dispersion, starting from a Nafion‐117 membrane, are described. The morphological characteristics of the prepared dispersions were compared with Nafion commercial dispersion (NCD). Moreover, membranes with a thickness of 5–20 μm were prepared and characterised, using both the obtained and the NCD dispersions. The obtained data showed that Nafion water dispersion, which can be used to prepare the membrane/electrode system, results in thin membranes that absorb more water than NCD membranes, and have equal and/or higher proton conduction than the NCD. |
