D. Damasceno Borges, A. A. Franco, K. Malek, G. Gebel, S. Mossa
Structure of polymer electrolytes membranes, e.g. Nafion, inside fuel cell catalyst layers has signific ant impact on the electrochemical activity and transport phenomena that determine cell performance. In those regions, Nafion can be found as an ultra-thin film, coating the catalyst and the catalyst support surfaces. The impact of the hydrophilic/hydrophobic character of these surfaces on the structural form ation of the films and, in turn, on transport properties, has not been sufficiently explored yet. Here, we report about Molecular Dynamics simulations of hydrated Nafion thin-films in contact with unstructu red supports, characterized by their global wetting properties only. We have investigated structure and transport in different regions of the film and found evidences of strongly heterogeneous behaviour. We speculate about the implications of our work on the understanding of real systems.
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http://arxiv.org/abs/1303.1755
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