Customer Support
Customer Support
Customer Support
VINATech is the only producer in the world of catalyst support and catalysts for fuel cells
and MEA (Membrane Electrode Assembly).All of these products are based on the company's patented CNF materials technology
VINATech supplies catalysts and MEA having an excellent corrosion
resisting property. These properties improve the life cycle of fuel cells
by using crystalline carbons as a catalyst support.
We produce catalyst support divided into three types based on the
corrosion resistance and shape, Two types of catalyst products
classified by the catalyst support and two types of MEA products
using our catalyst solutions which can be expanded to 300 cm2.
FC (Fuel Cell) is a device that changes chemical energy to electrical energy and a system that generates energy
continuously unless the fuel supply stops. It has the capabilities of both power generator and battery. FC uses hydrogen and oxygen as its fuel. It is a clean energy source that discharges only water through a chemical process.
Fuel cell products are classified by the type of their electrolytes. The fuel cell products we are currently developing include
PEMFC (Proton Exchange Membrane FC), DMFC (Direct Methanol FC), MCFC (Molten Carbonate FC), and SOFC (Solid Oxide FC).
| Type | Electrolytes | Operating temperatures(℃) | Application areas |
|---|---|---|---|
| Proton Exchange Membrane FC (PEMFC) |
Proton Exchange Membrane | 50~80 | Transportation, Fixed type for in-building application |
| Direct Methanol FC (DMFC) |
Proton Exchange Membrane | 50~80 | Portable backup power supply unit for mobile devices |
| Molten Carbonate FC (MCFC) |
Molten Carbonate (Li2CO3 + K2CO3) |
~650 | for the distributed generation Fixed type |
| Solid Oxide FC (SOFC) |
Ceramic (ZrO2 / Y2O3) |
~1000 | for distributed generation in buildings Fixed type |
VINATech's catalyst support, catalyst and MEA products are suitable for PEMFC and DMFC.
Fuel cells require micro catalyst particles, 3 nm or below, to improve their catalytic performance. Small particles
cannot be created only with catalysts. Catalysts have to be distributed on catalyst support.
VINATech’s fuel cell catalyst supports are CNF or crystalline carbon-black products which are designed to minimize the shortening of catalysts' life cycle due to corrosion.
| Product Name | BET(m2/g) | XRD(d002)(nm) | Fe content(ppm) | type |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| VFS-PL0100 | 60~70 | 0.336~0.380 | <200 | Platelet |
| VFS-HE0150 | 100~150 | 0.340~0.345 | <200 | Herringbone |
| VFS-SP0450 | 400~500 | 0.345~0.450 | <100 | Carbon black |
*11 BET: Specific surface area in accordance with the theories of Brunauer-Emmett-Teller
*2 XRD(d002): X-Ray Diffraction, inter-layer distance generated by diffraction of X-ray
Carbon is seen to corrode easily at 1.2 V or above, as a result of its reaction to oxygen. Corrosion of carbon contained in
catalyst supports results in deterioration of catalysts' performance and shortening of the fuel cells' life cycle.
VINATech's fuel cell catalyst support showed strong corrosion resistance in a carbon corrosion test based on
electrochemical analysis. Corrosion resistance analyses per catalyst supports are as follows.
VINATech’s fuel cell catalysts are made of platinum, forming 2.5 to 3.0 nm particles that are characterized by broad
reaction areas and excellent corrosion resistance. They are suitable for applications that improve fuel cells' performance and life cycle.
| Product Name | Content of platinum catalysts(wt%) |
ECSA(m2/g) | Particle size (nm) |
Support type |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| VFC-HE6000 | 56~60 | 30~45 | 2.5~2.8 | Herringbone |
| VFC-SP6000 | 50~60 | 2.5~3 | Carbon black |
![【Microscopic pictures of VINATech's catalysts (TEM》]](../images/sub/carbon_17.jpg)
Our fuel cell catalyst products proved highly resistant to corrosion in a holding test satisfying carbon corrosion
conditions. They also demonstrated a low decrement of reaction area.
| Product name | ECSA before(m2/g) | ECSA after(m2/g) | ECSA Change(%) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pt on Carbon Black | 28.6 | 9.8 | -65.7 |
| Pt on VFS-P | 31.0 | 27.4 | -11.6 |
* ECSA : Electrochemical Surface Area
VINATech's fuel cell MEA features excellent performance in discharging generated water,
aided by our less-than 100 nm electrode porosity controlling technology.
This product is suitable for improving the performance and life cycle of fuel cells.
| Product name | Type | Size | Applications |
|---|---|---|---|
| VFM-PEMFC | CCM 3 layer | ~ 300cm2 | Transportation, Fixed type for in-building application |
| VFM-DMFC | CCG 5 layer | ~ 300cm2 | Portable backup power supply unit for mobile devices |
VINATech's fuel cell MEA features excellent performance in discharging generated water, aided by our less-than
100 nm electrode porosity controlling technology. This product is suitable for improving the performance and life cycle of fuel cells.
| Product name | @0.7V (mA/cm2) |
@0.6V (mA/cm2) |
|---|---|---|
| Commercial MEA | 670 | 1,250 |
| VFM-series | 675 | 1,240 |
| Product name |
Before (mA/cm2) |
After (mA/cm2) |
Decrement (%) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Commercial MEA |
1.20 | 0.13 | -88.0 |
| VFM-series | 1.17 | 1.01 | -15.0 |
VINATech MEA products guarantee the very best performance along with the outstanding capability to combine with wide ranging applications even including low humidification environments.
| Cycle | OCV(V) | Performance (@600 mA) |
Performance (@1200 mA) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Intial | 0.941 | 0.708 | 0.615 |
| 1000 cycle | 0.931 | 0.708 | 0.601 |
| 5000 cycle | 0.921 | 0.695 | 0.576 |
| Before | After | |
|---|---|---|
| ECSA(㎡/g) | 41.8 | 30.8 |
VINATech offers combined solutions including Catalyst support components, catalysts and MEA, optimized to the customer's application area and specifications. In particular, for MEA, we offer special catalyst support and custom-tailored catalysts to your application areas and requirements.
