This excellent outcome attests its superiority for
acquiring an efficient release of catalyst layers from the substrate
films. Another fascinating feature of this method is a
wide workable temperature range that varies from 140 to
180 C. The DMFC performance is enhanced by increasing the
temperature, and the highest power density is obtained at
160e170 C. The Nafion membrane does not undergo any
irreversible conductivity loss even when hot-pressing temperature
is as high as 180 C. These results suggest that the
roll-press decal method can be employed at both low and high
temperatures without the conversion ofmembranes into Naþ-
form that is required for high-temperature decal processes.
Unlike the conventional decal processes, this method has
demonstrated the possibility of lowering the effective hotpressing
time to only a few seconds in a continuous process
with an exceptional degree of catalyst transfer and high MEA
performance. In addition, the decal cathodes perform better
with a relatively moderate amount of ionomer in the catalyst
layers. The MEA with 7 wt.% cathode ionomer delivers the best
single-cell performance with a peak power density of