Maryam Aghili Nategh - ۱Department of physical Chemistry, Tarbiat Modarres University, Tehran, Iran
Mitra amani - Chemical engineering of Department, Tarbiat Modarres University, Tehran, Iran
Hussein Gharibi - Department of physical Chemistry, Tarbiat Modarres University, Tehran, Iran

Polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cells (PEMFCs) require nano particle platinum (Pt) catalysts to operate effectively at low temperature. In this study, nano particle of platinum coated on carbon support, solvent, and a binder agent were mixed to prepare catalyst ink. The effect of dispersion solvent in catalyst ink performance of the membrane electrode assembly (MEA) for proton exchange membrane fuel cell is studied. Dispersion solvents under examination areWater: IPA and Isooctane: normal butyl acetate with dielectric constant 39.01 and 4.2 respectively. MEAs were prepared by the direct catalyst-coated membrane (CCM) method in which the catalyst layers are coated directly on treated Nafion-115 membrane by spray; MEAs were assembled with gas diffusion electrodes. Electrochemical analyses and physical property examination revealed that the electrode prepared by using mixture of solvent NBA: isooctane with dielectric constant 4.2 showed higher catalyst utilization and better cell performance.

Nano particle; PEMFC; MEA; CCM; Dielectric Constant