Mikkel Juul Larsen

• Ph.D., MSc.Eng.
• Senior Research Engineer, Project Manager at IRD A/S

Low-temperature (LT) polymer electrolyte membrane (PEM) fuel cells (FCs) and electrolysis cells (ECs) contain valuable materials such as platinum-group metals (PGMs) and perfluorosulphonic acid (PFSA) polymer. The Danish companies IRD Fuel Cells A/S and CriMaRec ApS together with the University of Southern Denmark are developing and scaling up effi...

Here, we report a study on the structural characteristics of membrane electrode assembly (MEA) samples obtained from a low-temperature (LT) polymer electrolyte membrane (PEM) fuel cell (FC) stack subjected to long-term durability testing for ∼18,500 h of nominal operation along with ∼900 on/off cycles accumulated over the operation time, with the t...

Owing to their strong catalytic nature and high robustness under various conditions, platinum group metals (PGMs) are state-of-the-art electrocatalysts for proton exchange membrane fuel cells and electrolyzer cells (PEMFCs & ECs) of superior performance and long stability. However, PGM supplies involving limited natural reserves, energy intensive m...

Platinum group metals (PGMs) are state-of-the-art electrocatalyst elements for polymer electrolyte membrane (PEM) fuel cells and electrolysers due to their superb catalytic nature and high robustness. With the rapid renewable...

Fe–N–C aerogel catalysts were prepared by sol–gel polycondensation of resorcinol, melamine and formaldehyde precursors in the presence of FeCl3 salt, followed by supercritical drying and thermal treatments. The effect of the mass ratio of precursors on the microstructure, iron speciation and oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) performance of the Fe–N–C...

In this paper, an extensive characterisation of a range of carbon blacks (CB) with similar surface area but different surface chemistry is carried out by flow calorimetry, Raman spectroscopy, dynamic water vapour sorption, instrumental gas analysis, nitrogen adsorption/desorption and high potential chronoamperometry. Using these carbon materials as...

To promote fuel cell commercialization, various catalyst supports have been explored to provide more durable performance of proton exchange membrane fuel cells. In this work, we continue our efforts on silicon carbide (SiC), with a focus on electrode structure and single cell performance. Nafion® ionomer was found of good affinity to the SiC suppor...

Electrodes of Proton Exchange Membrane Fuel Cells (PEMFCs), consisting of catalyst-coated gas diffusion layers, were subjected to an optimized ion exchange procedure, in which tin (IV) oxide (SnO2) nanoparticles were introduced into them. Both methanol and sulfuric acid were tested as ion exchange solvents. SnO2 has previously been shown to exhibit...

A family of novel carbon materials with intermediate surface area and varying morphology and surface chemistry were used to prepare Pt/C catalysts by two different preparation procedures; a chemical impregnation method and a microwave-assisted polyol method. The catalysts were thoroughly characterized, and their electrochemical performance and stab...

The role played by the surface properties of carbon blacks used as electrocatalyst supports in fuel cell electrodes is crucial in determining the performance and durability characteristics of the final membrane electrode assembly. These key surface properties include the polar character arising from the presence of heteroatoms, and the proportion o...

Graphical Abstract Transmission electron micrographs (TEM), the corresponding Pt particle size distribution histograms, and chemical analysis for residual Cl content by instrumental neutron activation analysis (INAA) and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) of selected representative Pt/C fuel cell catalysts.

The catalyst performance in a proton exchange membrane fuel cell (PEMFC) depends on not only the choice of materials, but also on the electrode structure and in particular on the interface between the components. In this work, we demonstrate that the hot-pressing conditions used during electrode lamination have a great influence on the catalyst pro...

Antimony-doped tin oxide (ATO) nanoparticles (NPs) were covalently modified with a benzophenone- silicate photoreactive organic molecule to enable the UV-mediated photoreduction of Pt(IV) on the surface of the ATO NPs to give Pt(0) NPs. The successfully synthesized Pt/ATO nanocomposites (NCs) that were based on these novel hybrid photoreactive ATO...

Five carbon black supports with medium surface area about 400 m2 g-1 were studied for deposition of 60 wt. % platinum from aqueous solutions of hexachloroplatinic acid by impregnation. The catalysts were compared in terms of X-ray diffraction, Laser Raman spectroscopy, pulse H2 chemisorption, electrocatalytic properties and electrochemical accelera...

A commercial high surface area carbon black (808 m2 g−1), low surface area carbon black (226 m2 g−1) and an experimental grade medium surface area carbon black (ExpCB, 384 m2 g−1) were studied as supports for platinum deposition: (i) from true solutions of H2PtCl6, Pt(C5H7O2)2, Pt(NH3)4(NO3)2, or Pt(NH3)2(NO2)2, and (ii) from fine slurries of Pt(C5...

Tin dioxide (SnO2) containing electrodes showed significantly lower radical induced polymer degradation under single cell open circuit voltage (OCV) treatment than SnO2 free electrodes. A backbone related segment was detected under 100% RH, and an oxygen containing side chain segment was detected under 6% RH by 19F NMR. Fluoride ion release was obs...

Highly ion-conducting poly(ionic liquid) thin films have been prepared in the absence of solvents utilizing a simple 2-step approach comprising pulsed plasmachemical deposition of 1-allylimidazole followed by vapour-phase quaternization with 1-bromobutane.

With the aim of investigating possible connections between structural properties and electrocatalytic characteristics in the oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) for carbon materials with prospective use as catalyst support in polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cells (PEMFC), various carbon samples were examined by electron spin resonance (ESR) spectrosc...

Halm og træflis er biomasse, der kan benyttes som biobrændsler. Forbrænding af biomasse er et miljøvenligt alternativ til energiproduktion ved fyring med de fossile brændstoffer kul, olie og naturgas. I Danmark er der god kompetence og lang tradition inden for kombineret el- og varmeproduktion, hvilket giver en høj udnyttelse af energien i brændsle...

Vi er alle afhængige af elektricitet og andre former for energi. En stabil energiforsyning er derfor et helt centralt behov i vores moderne samfund. I en tid med stærkt stigende energibehov og større erkendelse af de skadelige miljømæssige konsekvenser ved konventionel energiproduktion er det nødvendigt at øge fokus på energiforsyningens effektivit...

The content of radicals in the base polymer film before and after grafting is an important issue in the production and use of membranes for electrochemical devices by radiation grafting. In this work a method has been developed for determination of relative radical content in fluoropolymer films using MgO as internal standard. It has been demonstra...

In order to develop cheaper and better fuel-cell electrolyte membranes than the polyperfluorosulfonic acids, an effort has been made to improve the fuel-cell relevant properties of sulfonated styrene/divinylbenzene-grafted poly(ethylene-alt-tetrafluoroethylene) membranes. Thus the influence of the crosslinking agent divinylbenzene has been investig...

Polymerbrændselsceller gennemgår en rivende udvikling og kan vise sig at udgøre en del af løsningen på de miljø- og klimamæssige udfordringer, som knytter sig til dækningen af vort energibehov. Ligesom litiumbatterier frembyder brændselsceller stor energitæthed, men for begge afgøres det miljømæssige potentiale af historien bag den energi, de frigi...