The influences of multi-walled carbon nanotube addition to the anode on the performance of direct methanol fuel cells

Different amounts of multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) are added to anode catalyst layer in the membrane electrode assemblies (MEAs) of direct methanol fuel cells (DMFCs). The MEA with 0.5 wt.% carbon nanotubes (CNTs) shows the best performance in DMFC. In the protonic conductivity tests, a 0.5 wt.% amount of MWCNTs results in the highest protonic conductivity. SEM and TEM observations show that a continuous and uniform distribution of Nafion ionomer layer is formed on the MWCNT surface. Therefore, the dispersed MWCNTs in the catalyst layer are considered to be helpful for developing the pathways of protons transport.