AVS 52nd International Symposium
    Thin Films Monday Sessions
       Session TF+EM-MoM

Paper TF+EM-MoM3
Carbon Nanotube Catalyst for PEM Fuel Cells

Monday, October 31, 2005, 9:00 am, Room 306

Session: Thin Films for Photovoltaic and Energy Applications
Presenter: J. Narayanamoorthy, Wayne State University
Authors: J. Narayanamoorthy, Wayne State University
S. Durairaj, Wayne State University
J. Choi, Wayne State University
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Carbon nanotubes have unique properties for future fuel cell applications such as diverse electrical properties, large surface area to volume ratio, chemical inertness, etc. The role of carbon nanotubes for the polymer electrolyte fuel cell has been investigated. First, the morphological, electrical, and mechanical role of the carbon nanotubes in the catalyst layer was studied. There was minimal cracking and maximal interconnect in the layer with carbon nanotubes. The resistance of the catalyst layer reduced due to the presence of carbon nanotubes and mechanical properties also showed good improvement. Further, carbon nanotubes themselves were employed as catalyst in place of noble metals and were optimized by tuning the electronic properties of carbon nanotubes. In this presentation, we will discuss the correlation between catalytic activity and the electronic structure of carbon nanotubes.