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Cited by 67Fuel Cells and Related MaterialsElectrocatalysts for Energy ConversionNanomaterials and Printing Technologies

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Slot-die-coating operability windows for polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cell cathode catalyst layers

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Creel, Erin B., Tjiptowidjojo, Kristianto, Alex Lee, J., Livingston, Kelsey M., Randall Schunk, P., Bell, Nelson S., Serov, Alexey, Wood III, David L.·2022·Journal of Colloid and Interface Science
DOI 10.1016/j.jcis.2021.11.047
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Abstract

Roll-to-roll (R2R) slot-die coating of polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cell (PEMFC) catalyst layers represents a scalable deposition method for producing 10-20 m 2·min-1 of catalyst-coated gas diffusion layers (GDLs). This high-throughput production technique will help lower the cost of PEMFC catalyst layers. The uniformity of the wet layer applied by slot die deposition is affected by process parameters such as substrate speed, vacuum pressure applied at the upstream meniscus, gap between the slot die lips and substrate, ink rheology, and other ink and substrate properties. The set of conditions for producing a defect-free coating with a dilute ink typically requires little to no upstream vacuum pressure, so suitable operating conditions can be found easily through trial and error and operator intuition. However, the higher viscosity of more concentrated inks dramatically shifts the range of settings that result in a homogeneous coating to higher vacuum levels, which are harder to find through hit or miss. A predictive model showing the range of operable conditions decreases material wastage inherent in experimentally searching for suitable parameters. In this study, the defect-free coating parameter window is explored experimentally and theoretically for two concentrations of PEFC cathode inks. Both a full capillary hydrodynamic model and a computationally cheaper viscocapillary model successfully predict the experimentally determined coating window within the experimental and model uncertainty limits for inks with 5.3 wt% and 12.0 wt% solids ink while maintaining the 0.1 mg Pt·cm-2 Pt areal loading target. This paper demonstrates a viable pathway for meeting the $30/kW net ultimate cost target of the United States Department of Energy (U.S. DOE) Hydrogen Fuel Cells Technologies Office (HFTO). The concentrated ink lowers the thermal energy and capital expenditure (CapEx) budget of the coating process by decreasing the amount of time, energy, and floorspace required for drying the coating.

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References 43 · Cited by 67

Research works printed but not linked: 34

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Metadata

Authors
Creel, E. B., Tjiptowidjojo, K., Alex Lee, J., Livingston, K. M., Randall Schunk, P., Bell, N. S., Serov, A., & Wood III, D. L.
Affiliations
  • Oak Ridge National Laboratory (US)
  • University of New Mexico (US)
  • Sandia National Laboratories (US)
ORCID
Venue
Journal of Colloid and Interface Science
Publisher
Elsevier BV
Published
2022-03
Volume
610
Pages
474-485
ISSN
0021-9797 (ISSN-L)
DOI
10.1016/j.jcis.2021.11.047
OpenAlex
W3211599356
Cited by
67
References
43
Citations by year
2026: 21 · 2025: 12 · 2024: 12 · 2023: 15 · 2022: 7
FWCI
2.50
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Licence
Locations
  • Journal of Colloid and Interface Science (acceptedVersion)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
  • OSTI OAI (U.S. Department of Energy Office of Scientific and Technical Information) (submittedVersion)
Funders
  • National Nuclear Security Administration (DE-EE0008323, DE-NA0003525)
  • Sandia National Laboratories
  • US Department of Energy
  • Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy
Topics
  • Physical Sciences › Engineering › Electrical and Electronic Engineering › Fuel Cells and Related Materials
  • Physical Sciences › Energy › Renewable Energy, Sustainability and the Environment › Electrocatalysts for Energy Conversion
  • Physical Sciences › Engineering › Electrical and Electronic Engineering › Nanomaterials and Printing Technologies
Keywords
slot-die coating, roll-to-roll coating, proton exchange membrane fuel cells, cathode catalyst layer, gas diffusion layer, ink rheology, coating uniformity, ink concentration, platinum loading, fuel cell cost reduction

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CoChat. (2026). Citation check: Slot-die-coating operability windows for polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cell cathode catalyst layers. https://app.cochat.ai/papers/10.1016/j.jcis.2021.11.047
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Creel, E. B., Tjiptowidjojo, K., Alex Lee, J., Livingston, K. M., Randall Schunk, P., Bell, N. S., Serov, A., & Wood III, D. L. (2022). Slot-die-coating operability windows for polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cell cathode catalyst layers. Journal of Colloid and Interface Science. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jcis.2021.11.047