| 초록 |
Until now, the challenge in adopting hydrocarbon (HC) membranes for polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cells (PEMFCs) has been the interfacial delamination between the catalyst layers (CLs) and HC membrane which causes significant performance loss. Here, we present a scalable mechanical nano-fastener featuring a three-dimensionally interlocked interfacial structure between the HC membrane and perfluorinated sulfonic acid (PFSA)-based CL as a novel strategy to overcome the interfacial issue. It is achieved by forming nano-porous skins on both sides of the HC membrane and successively filling the pores with PFSA ionomers with wet-coating methods. The interlocking interface tightly binds the HC membrane and CL due to its highly-interlocked ball and socket joint structure. The interfacial adhesion is dramatically enhanced 37-fold with the nano-fastener. The membrane electrode assembly with the three-dimensional interlocking interface exhibits 20-times higher durability than that with the flat interface, paving a way to achieve highly robust and cost-effective HC membrane-based PEMFCs for automotive use. |
