We model and validate the effect of ionomer content and Pt nanoparticles on nanoporous structure of catalyst layers in polymer electrolyte fuel cells. By employing Pore network modeling technique and analytical solutions, we analyze and reproduce experimental N2-adsorption isotherms of carbon, Pt/ carbon and catalyst layers with various ionomer contents. The porous catalyst layer structures comprise of Ketjen Black carbon, Pt and Nafion ionomer. The experimental pore size distributions obtained by N2- adsorption are used as an input to generate porous media using the pore network approach. Subsequently,udthe simulated porous structures are used to produce simulated N2-adsorption isotherms, which are then compared to the experimentally measured isotherms. The results show a good agreement in the prediction of the effect of the ionomer content on the microstructure of catalyst layers. Moreover, the analysis of the isotherms confirms the hypothesis of ionomer distribution on the surface of agglomerates as well as the existence of different sorption regimes in primary and secondary pores of fuel cell catalyst layers.
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