Investigation of the Interaction between Nafion Ionomer and Surface Functionalized Carbon Black Using Both Ultrasmall Angle X-ray Scattering and Cryo-TEM
Open accessAbstract
In making a catalyst ink, the interactions between Nafion ionomer and catalyst support are the key factors that directly affect both ionic conductivity and electronic conductivity of the catalyst layer in a membrane electrode assembly. One of the major aims of this investigation is to understand the behavior of the catalyst support, Vulcan XC-72 (XC-72) aggregates, in the existence of the Nafion ionomer in a catalyst ink to fill the knowledge gap of the interaction of these components. The dispersion of catalyst ink depends not only on the solvent but also on the interaction of Nafion and carbon particles in the ink. The interaction of Nafion ionomer particles and XC-72 catalyst aggregates in liquid media was studied using ultrasmall-angle X-ray scattering and cryogenic TEM techniques. Carbon black (XC-72) and functionalized carbon black systems were introduced to study the interaction behaviors. A multiple curve fitting was used to extract the particle size and size distribution from scattering data. The results suggest that the particle size and size distribution of each system changed significantly in Nafion + XC-72 system, Nafion + NH 2 -XC72 system, and Nafion + SO 3 H-XC-72 system, which indicates that an interaction among these components (i.e., ionomer particles and XC-72 aggregates) exists. The cryogenic TEM, which allows for the observation the size of particles in a liquid, was used to validate the scattering results and shows excellent agreement.
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Increasing the hydrophilicity of carbon through introducing plenty of functional groups tends to form small agglomerates in polar solvents due to an enhanced repulsion force.
“in contrast, increasing the hydrophilicity of carbon through introducing plenty of functional groups tends to form small agglomerates in polar solvents due to an enhanced repulsion force [51].”
From Effect of Catalyst Ink and Formation Process on the Multiscale Structure of Catalyst Layers in PEM Fuel Cells (2022) · cites this paper as [51]
Section 4.3 reports that functionalized, more hydrophilic carbon black forms smaller aggregates in a water–isopropanol dispersion. But it attributes the smaller size to improved dispersion; the repulsive force it describes is between sulfonated carbon black and Nafion, and prevents aggregate growth after Nafion is added. It does not establish enhanced repulsion as the cause of smaller aggregates across polar solvents. (LLM, conf=0.86)
Experimental — accuracy not yet measuredThe choice of ionomer depends on the catalyst type because catalyst ink dispersion depends on the solvent, the ionomer, and the interaction of ionomer and carbon particles in the ink.
“Nevertheless, the choice of ionomer depends on the catalyst type because the dispersion of catalyst ink depends on not only the solvent and ionomer but also the interaction of ionomer and carbon particles in the ink [185].”
From Recent Advances on PEM Fuel Cells: From Key Materials to Membrane Electrode Assembly (2023) · cites this paper as [185]
The Abstract states that ink dispersion depends on the solvent and the interaction between Nafion and carbon particles; the Introduction likewise emphasizes their interaction in achieving uniform dispersion. But the study uses Nafion with different carbon supports and does not establish that the choice of ionomer depends on catalyst type. No page numbers are available in our copy. (LLM, conf=0.86)
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- Authors
- Yang, F., Xin, L., Uzunoglu, A., Qiu, Y., Stanciu, L., Ilavsky, J., Li, W., & Xie, J.
- Affiliations
- Purdue University West Lafayette (US)
- Indiana University – Purdue University Indianapolis (US)
- School of Materials Engineering, Purdue University, West Lafayette, Indiana 47907, United States
- Iowa State University (US)
- X-ray Science Division, Argonne National Laboratory, Lemont, Illinois 60439, United States
- Corresponding author
- Xie, Jian
- Venue
- ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces
- Publisher
- American Chemical Society (ACS)
- Published
- 2017-02-10
- Volume
- 9
- Issue
- 7
- Pages
- 6530-6538
- ISSN
- 1944-8244 (ISSN-L)
- 1944-8252
- OpenAlex
- W2581566666
- Cited by
- 124
- References
- 32
- Citations by year
- 2026: 13 · 2025: 12 · 2024: 16 · 2023: 24 · 2022: 11 · 2021: 15 · 2020: 11 · 2019: 8 · 2018: 9 · 2017: 5
- FWCI
- 3.75
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- green
- hdl.handle.net
- Locations
- ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Purdue University Indianapolis (Indiana University) (submittedVersion)
- IUScholarWorks (Indiana University) (submittedVersion)
- Author eBooks
- Funders
- U.S. Department of Energy (DE‐ AC02‐06CH11357, AC02‐06CH11357, 06CH11357, DE-AC02-)
- Office of Science (AC02‐06CH11357, DE-AC02, 06CH11357, DE-AC02-06CH11357)
- Argonne National Laboratory (DE- AC02-06-CH11357, DE-AC02, AC02–06CH11357, 06CH11357)
- 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 › Materials Science › Materials Chemistry › Advancements in Solid Oxide Fuel Cells
- Keywords
- Nafion ionomer, carbon black, Vulcan XC-72, catalyst ink, particle size distribution, membrane electrode assembly, proton exchange membrane fuel cells
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