Study of the synergism effect of a binary carbon system in the nanostructure of the gas diffusion electrode (GDE) of a proton exchange membrane fuel cell

We report on the use of dual carbon supports activated charcoal (AC) and Vulcan XC-72R (VC) as catalysts for the fabrication of a gas diffusion electrode. The electrocatalytic properties for the oxygen reduction reaction were evaluated in a sulfuric acid electrolyte using polarization curves and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy. The water uptake and oxygen permeability were also obtained, as were the performances of electrodes in a membrane electrode assembly. A binary support electrode exhibits better performance than the usual single support electrode, with the best performance being obtained when the mass ratio of the two carbons is 50:50.