Web Release Date: June 19,
High Performance Hydrogen Fuel Cells with Ultralow Pt Loading Carbon Nanotube Thin
Film Catalysts
and
University of California, Riverside, Riverside, California 92521
Received: February 21, 2007
Abstract:
Fuel cell membrane electrode assemblies with Pt loading of 0.2 mg Pt/cm2 at the anode and ultralow Pt
loadings of 6 
g Pt/cm2 and 12 g Pt/cm2 at the cathode have been fabricated using thin films of multiwalled
carbon nanotube supported Pt catalysts (Pt/MWNTs) at the cathode. The Pt/MWNTs have a Pt weight loading
of 26.8 wt % and a uniform and small Pt particle size of 2.1 nm. The MWNTs used are 360 m long. This
thin film cathode catalyst layer with a loading of 6 g Pt/cm2 is about 1.3 m thick, contains no ionomer, and
exhibits surprisingly high performance in a hydrogen proton exchange membrane fuel cell. The peak power
density for a membrane electrode assembly with a cathode loading of 12 g Pt/cm2 when tested at 70 
C with
hydrogen and oxygen is 613 mW/cm2. A mass activity (ampere per milligram of Pt) based on the cathode Pt
loading greater than 250 A/mg Pt is achieved with 6 g Pt/cm2, and this is among the highest reported to
date.
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