Abstract
Simultaneous reactive magnetron sputtering and plasma etching leads to the formation of fiber-like structures on the surface of proton exchange membrane. Modified membrane features very high specific area and when sputtered over with thin-film catalyst (e.g.
Pt, Ir) and put to the fuel cell and/or water elctrolyzer it performs comparably to the state-of-the-art systems despite using just a fraction of their noble metal loading and using no nanoparticle-based catalyst support. The performance of the functional sample was tested in electrochemical cell during real operational conditions.
Peak performance and long-term stability was confirmed.