Rational Design of Ultrathin Gas Barrier Layer via Reconstruction of Hexagonal Boron Nitride Nanoflakes to Enhance the Chemical Stability of Proton Exchange Membrane Fuel Cells

An effective gas barrier layer is developed via reconstruction of mechanically exfoliated hexagonal boron nitride (hBN) nanoflakes. By using an hBN ‐dispersed Nafion solution, the gas barrier layer is directly formed on a membrane through a simple spin‐coating process. The layer ensures high proton conductivity and low gas crossover simultaneously, promising excellent chemical durability of proton exchange membrane fuel cells. AbstractHexagonal boron nitride (hBN) has great potential as a promising gas barrier layer in proton exchange membrane fuel cells (PEMFCs) as it shows high proton conductivity as well as excellent gas ‐blocking capability. However, structural defects and mechanical damage during the transfer of the hBN layer and membrane swelling have limited the application of hBN sheets to PEMFCs. Here, an ultrathin gas barrier layer is successfully fabricated on a proton exchange membrane via reconstruction of mechanically exfoliated hBN nanoflakes using a direct spin‐coating process. The hBN‐coated layer effectively suppresses the gas crossover and inhibits the formation of reactive oxygen radicals in the electrodes without reducing the proton conductivity of the membrane. It is also demonstrated that the structural advantages of hBN‐coated gas barrier layers promise high performance of a unit cell even after a open‐circuit voltage (OCV) hold test for 100 h. Furthermore, through in‐depth postmortem analyses, a time‐dependent degradation mechanism o...
Source: Small - Category: Nanotechnology Authors: Tags: Full Paper Source Type: research