Molecular Dynamics Simulation of Polyhedral Silsesquioxane Nanoparticles on Cathodes of Polymer Electrolyte Membrane Fuel Cells

The effect of octahedral cage-structured polyhedral oligomeric silsesquioxane (POSS) on the cathode catalyst layer (CCL) for polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cells (PEMFCs) is investigated via molecular dynamics simulations. A model of CCL is constructed consisting of Pt/C substrate/ionomer–POSS/water–gas. The pair correlation function analysis shows that the dense cover of ionomer chains on the Pt surface and the interaction between sulfonate groups and water molecules are weakened by POSS. At high hydration, the effective water content in the ionomer–POSS phase is drastically reduced with increasing POSS content. Interestingly, at low hydration, the effective water content is slightly improved as the POSS content increases. This water retention effect is probably due to the trapping of water molecules in the POSS cage. The diffusion coefficients of O2 and H3O+ are effectively increased. The method of inserting nanocages into ionomer can avoid the formation of a high-density ionomer film at the Pt/ionomer interface. Moreover, POSS-modified CCLs possess a self-balance of water content, thus achieving enhanced multicomponent transport involving proton, water, and oxygen transfer. It provides a strategy for designing high-performance PEMFC, particularly for fuel cell vehicles due to the self-balance property under changing humidity.