This technology is a method for manufacturing porous platinum thin films for fuel cells by electroplating copper onto a substrate at a high current density to create a porous copper thin film using hydrogen bubbles as a template, and then immersing it in a platinum precursor solution to displace the copper with platinum.
Fuel cell catalyst layers have traditionally been produced using spray or transfer methods. However, porous thin-film catalysts like inverse opals or whisker structures, which are designed to improve durability, have faced limitations due to complex processes and difficulties in structural control. Direct electroplating of platinum also presents issues with reduced current efficiency, as the catalytic action of the platinum itself generates hydrogen bubbles.
This technology utilizes the hydrogen bubbles generated during constant-current plating as a pore template to first secure a porous structure, then transfers that morphology to a platinum thin film via galvanic displacement. By forming a structure where platinum encapsulates the copper surface, it is possible to achieve a large reactive surface area while reducing the amount of expensive platinum used. Applicable to carbon paper-based polymer electrolyte fuel cell electrodes, this method allows for the production of thin-film catalyst layers with higher durability than particulate catalysts through a simple wet process.
This invention was developed with support from the Ministry of Education for the development of polyaniline support-based catalysts/polyaniline catalysts and their application to fuel cells.
N/A
