Development of Nafion-Polyaniline Nano-Composite for Fuel Cell Application

The performance of the cathode catalyst layer in a proton exchange membrane fuel cell(PEMFC) has a significant impact on the overall performance of the cell. Enhancement of the cathode activity has been a major focus in the development of PEMFC electrodes. The introduction of electron–proton conductive polymers, especially polyaniline (PANI) doped with trifluoromethanesulfonic acid as a proton-conducting monomer [1], or a hybrid material such as Nafion or PANI–Nafion Nano composite in the catalyst layer, are good methods for resolving the problems outlined above [2,3]. Such materials frequently manifest properties that cannot be achieved by using the components individually; this is particularly true when one of the components is present in a Nanodimensional phase [4]. These compounds exhibit useful physiochemical properties in addition to chemical stability, opening up possibilities for their use in many types of electrochemical devices, including batteries and fuel cells