Performance of Nano Structured Thin Film (NSTF) Electrodes under Partially-Humidified Conditions

3M's Nano Structured Thin Film (NSTF) electrode, being a core-shell catalyst, offers a novel mean to enhance the performance and lower Pt cost in a polymer electrolyte fuel cell (PEFC). In the present work, fuel cell performance of NSTF is reported and the underlying physics dictating NSTF behavior is probed. It was found that NSTF with 0.15 mgPt/cm2 Pt loading shows comparable performance to that of a conventional Pt/C electrode with 0.4 mgPt/cm2 loading in a highly humidified condition at 80°C. However, the NSTF performs poorly under dry conditions. A single-phase model was developed to elucidate the underlying phenomenon governing NSTF performance under partially-humidified conditions. NSTF proton conductivity as a function of relative humidity (RH) was determined and the model predictions were compared against a range of experimental data. Detailed results suggest that poor NSTF performance under dry operation is due to low proton conductivity over Pt surface, which reduces catalyst utilization. The importance of water management is highlighted to improve NSTF performance.