Fuel Cell & Electrolyzer Coating

Catalyst inks (Pt/C, Pt-Ru, IrO₂) are sprayed directly onto the membrane or the gas diffusion layer to build catalyst-coated membranes and gas diffusion electrodes. Airless, low-velocity deposition prevents overspray on fine-patterned membranes and keeps the ionomer-to-catalyst ratio stable through the layer. Published work with ultrasonic spray reports ultra-low platinum loadings at equal or better performance and reproducible MEAs; the same approach reduces iridium oxide loading on PEM electrolyzer anodes while maintaining high oxygen-evolution current densities. Direct methanol fuel cells benefit in the same way from fine Pt-Ru layers with lower methanol crossover.

Ceramic suspensions of YSZ, Ni-YSZ, LSCF, LSM, and CGO are deposited as thin, uniform layers with the porosity of each layer set independently: dense electrolyte films under 10 µm, porous anodes and cathodes with high triple-phase-boundary density, and CGO interlayers that block interdiffusion between LSCF cathodes and YSZ electrolytes. Low-velocity droplets do not erode the layer beneath, so multi-layer cells are built without cracking or delamination. The same process serves solid oxide electrolyzer cells for hydrogen production and CO₂-to-syngas conversion, and perovskite interconnect coatings (LSCM, LSCrM) for stack assembly.

For a worked example of building a micron-scale ceramic film from an aqueous particle suspension, with the dispersion, wetting, plasma-activation and flash-drying steps that made it continuous, download our white paper Ultrasonic Spray Deposition of Micron-Scale Alumina Films (PDF).