Durable High-Temperature Proton Exchange Membrane Fuel Cells Enabled by the Working-Temperature-Matching Palladium-Hydrogen Buffer Layer

The durability degradation during stack-operating conditions seriously deteriorates the lifetime and performance of the fuel cell. To alleviate the rapid potential rise and performance degradation, an anode design is proposed to match the working temperature of high-temperature proton exchange membrane fuel cells (HT-PEMFCs) with the release temperature of hydrogen from palladium. The result is significantly enhanced hydrogen oxidation reaction (HOR) activity of Pd and superior performance of the Pd anode. Furthermore, Pd as hydrogen buffer and oxygen absorbent layer in the anode can provide additional in situ hydrogen and absorb infiltrated oxygen during local fuel starvation to maintain HOR and suppress reverse-current degradation. Compared with the traditional Pt/C anode, the Pd/C also greatly improved HT-PEMFCs durability during start-up/shut-down and current mutation. The storage/release of hydrogen provides innovative guidance for improving the durability of PEMFCs.     

质子交换膜燃料电池非贵金属型Fe-N-C催化剂的研究进展

质子交换膜燃料电池具有绿色、可持续、效率高等优点,被认为是解决环境与能源问题最有前途的替代方案。燃料电池核心是催化剂,目前应用最成熟的是铂族贵金属,但其高昂的成本制约着燃料电池的快速推广,另外铂族金属对CO、NH₃等气体较为敏感,使得燃料纯度要求苛刻,因此开发高性能低成本的催化剂替代贵金属是推动燃料电池商业化的重要途径。本文总结了近年来燃料电池近年来Fe-N-C催化剂的研究成果,并对Cu、Co等金属掺杂影响进行了系统综述。文中从制备方法、载体、氮源、金属掺杂等对Fe-N-C催化剂氧还原活性及耐久性的影响进行了详细的对比分析,对催化剂的失活机理进行了一定的探讨。最后,本文展望了Fe-N-C催化剂未来的发展方向,提出催化剂活性、耐久性同步提升以及优化燃料电池催化剂层的方案。     

Copper-based metal–organic framework decorated by CuO hair-like nanostructures: Electrocatalyst for oxygen evolution reaction

We report a Cu-based metal–organic framework (MOF) decorated by CuO nanostructures as an efficient catalyst for the oxygen evolution reaction (OER). MIL-53(Cu) was synthesized by a hydrothermal approach using 1,4-bezenedicarboxylic acid as organic precursor and further annealed at 300°C to form CuO nanostructures on its surface. The produced electrocatalyst, CuO@MIL-53(Cu), was characterized using various techniques. Under alkaline conditions, the developed electrocatalyst exhibited an overpotential of 801 and 336 mV versus RHE at 10 and 1 mA cm⁻², respectively. The reproducibility of the catalytic performance was validated using several electrodes. It was confirmed that the CuO hair-like nanostructures grown on MIL-53(Cu) using thermal treatment exhibit high OER activity, good kinetics and durability. CuO@MIL-53(Cu) is an economic noble-metal-free OER electrocatalyst. It has potential for application as anode material for sustainable energy technologies like batteries, fuel cells and water electrolysis.     

以CaCl2为模板合成的高活性和高稳定性铁、氮、硫共掺杂多子孔碳氧还原电催化剂

燃料电池是一种可将化学能通过电催化反应直接转化成电能的装置,具有能量密度高和清洁无污染等优点.燃料电池阴极氧还原反应(ORR)的动力学较迟缓,是电池能量效率损失的主要原因.目前ORR催化活性最高的是铂基催化剂,但由于贵金属铂价格昂贵,储量稀少,且对燃料小分子渗透的抗性较差,严重制约了燃料电池的大规模应用.因此,高性能、低成本的非贵金属催化剂成为燃料电池领域的研究热点.本文选用含氮量高达45％的三聚氰胺-甲醛树脂为碳源和氮源,Fe(SCN)3为铁源和硫源,以CaCl2为模板,在高温和铁的催化作用下将树脂碳化,经酸洗和二次热处理工艺,制备出铁、氮、硫共掺杂的多孔碳(FeNS-PC).干燥后的CaCl2颗粒可防止树脂在高温下交联形成块状碳颗粒,同时起到造孔模板的作用.CaCl2颗粒在温和条件下即可除去,无需强腐蚀性条件,因此不会对催化活性中心造成破坏.在Fe/N/C催化剂中掺杂S可进一步提高催化活性,不添加碳载体可避免低活性的碳载体降低质量活性,多孔结构可促进传质,充分利用活性位点.我们优化了热处理温度,并对催化剂的结构、组分及催化性能等进行了表征分析.结果表明,热处理温度为900℃时,可将树脂完全转化成多孔碳,并获得较高的杂原子掺杂量,可达到最优活性.CaCl2为模板剂可避免使用强腐蚀性试剂去除模板,有利于保留活性位,并得到多孔结构.FeNS-PC-900的比表面积可达775 m2/g.得益于原位掺杂的合成工艺,各掺杂元素在多孔碳表面均匀分布.在酸性介质中,FeNS-PC-900的半波电位可达到0.811V,仅比商业Pt/C催化剂低78 mV;在0.8V电位下的质量活性为10.2 A/g,表现出优异的催化活性.经过10000圈加速衰减测试后,其半波电位仅下降了20 mV,在0.75V电位下持续放电10000s后,其ORR电流仍保持初始电流的84.4％,具有比Pt/C更加优异的稳定性.以FeNS-PC-900为阴极催化剂的质子交换膜燃料电池的最大功率密度可达到0.49 W/cm2,并在0.6V电压下持续放电10h后,其电流仍可保持初始电流的65％,表现出良好的应用潜力.FeNS-PC-900具有高掺杂含量、高比表面积和多孔结构,并且杂原子在催化剂表面均匀分散,在半电池和燃料电池测试中都表现出优异的催化活性和稳定性,表明其是一种非常有潜力应用于燃料电池的非贵金属氧还原催化剂.     

聚苯胺修饰Pt/C催化剂对质子交换膜燃料电池动态响应的促进作用

将超级电容器材料聚苯胺引入电极催化剂中以缓冲燃料电池负载的变化.以硫酸为掺杂剂,将化学法合成的聚苯胺(PANI)与Pt/C超声分散混合,制成PANI-Pt/C催化剂.PANI-Pt/C的循环伏安测试和作为质子交换膜燃料电池阴极电催化剂的电池性能测试表明,PANI含量为10%时能够提高Pt/C催化剂对氧的还原动力学速度和燃料电池放电性能.电池在不同电流负载下的电压动态响应和对电池脉冲电流的动态响应以及PANI-Pt/C催化剂多电位电势阶跃计时电流测试显示,聚苯胺在催化剂中具有在瞬间电流负载时缓冲电池电压和电池大电流放电时平稳电压的作用.     

简便方法制备氮掺杂的碳球用作高效非金属氧还原催化剂（英文）

随着人们环保意识的不断增强,社会对清洁能源的需求也日益增加.燃料电池具有效率高,燃料来源丰富,可直接将化学能转化成电能且污染小等优点,因而受到了广泛关注.然而,燃料电池的阴极氧还原反应(ORR)速率较慢,成为提高燃料电池整体效率的制约因素.因此,开发高性能的ORR催化剂,加快ORR反应速率具有非常重要的意义.目前,Pt基催化剂被认为是活性最好的商用ORR电催化剂.尽管此类催化剂具有较高的催化活性和良好的稳定性,但Pt的储量有限,价格高昂,抗燃料毒化性能差,限制了其大规模应用.近年来,为了减小Pt的用量,降低催化剂成本,人们除了致力于研究贵金属合金催化剂及非贵金属催化剂外,还把目光聚焦在了非金属催化剂,特别是碳及其复合材料的研究上.在众多碳材料中,碳球因具有良好的表面渗透性和较高的机械稳定性而被广泛应用于催化、吸附、药物输送和能量存储及转化等领域中.然而,碳球的表面化学惰性较强,比表面积较低,使其部分应用受到了限制.因此,人们采用了多种方法来调控碳球的物理化学性质.其中,向碳材料中掺入杂原子,尤其是氮原子的方法广受青睐.因为杂原子的掺入会显著增强作为主体的碳原子给电子的能力和表面吸附性质,从而对ORR表现出优异的催化活性和稳定性.本文以蔗糖作为碳源,三聚氰胺作为氮源,采用水热法及高温热解法制备了一系列氮掺杂的生物质碳球.并对氮掺杂量及热解温度进行了优化.结果表明,石墨化程度及石墨氮含量的提高,能有效地提高催化剂的活性.在优化了的条件下得到的催化剂N0.1C1.9S-900,表现出了比商业Pt/C催化剂更好的ORR催化性能.在0.1 mol/L KOH中,该催化剂催化ORR的起始电位和半波电位分别为–22.6和–133.6 mV(vs.Ag/AgCl),极限电流密度为4.6 mA/cm~2,分别比商业Pt/C高出7.2 mV,5.9 mV和0.2 mA/cm~2.同时,在经过30000 s的稳定性测试中,N0.1C1.9S-900催化剂的电流损失也远低于Pt/C,表明该催化剂具有良好的稳定性.此外,在抗甲醇毒化实验中,相比于商业Pt/C,N0.1C1.9S-900催化剂对甲醇有更好的耐受性.另外,该催化剂催化的ORR属于高效的4e~–途径.可见,该催化剂作为燃料电池的阴极氧还原反应催化剂具有广阔的前景.     

Pt基合金氧还原催化剂设计的密度泛函理论计算研究

本文提出以合金形成能、Pt表面偏析能和氧原子吸附能作为依据筛选具有高活性和高稳定性的表面富Pt氧还原合金催化剂. 利用DFT计算对Pt与各种过渡金属形成的合金的热力学、表面化学和电子性质进行了系统研究,在此基础上预测Pt-V,Pt-Fe,Pt-Co,Pt-Ni,Pt-Cu,Pt-Zn,Pt-Mo,Pt-W等合金可能具有好的氧还原催化活性和稳定性. 所预期的大部分催化剂已有文献研究结果支持. 另外,Pt-Zn和Pt-Mo体系目前报道尚不多,值得进一步的细致研究.     

钴-聚吡咯-碳载Pt催化剂的制备及其单电池性能研究

采用脉冲微波辅助化学还原法制备了钴-聚吡咯-碳载Pt催化剂(Pt/Co-PPy-C),并将其作为阴极催化剂,组装单电池。考察了电池运行温度和氢气/空气计量比对单电池性能的影响,并与商业Pt/C催化剂进行了耐久性实验比较。 结果表明,运行温度为70 ℃,氢气与空气的计量比为1.2:2.5时单电池性能最佳。600 mA/cm²恒电流稳定运行150 h耐久性测试中,以Pt/Co-PPy-C为阴极催化剂的单电池平均电压衰退率为0.119 mV/h,是商业Pt/C催化剂的26%。耐久性测试前后,单电池的阴极电荷传递阻抗为7.176和8.767 Ω,均比商业Pt/C催化剂阻抗小;Pt颗粒粒径从2.46 nm增长到3.18 nm,均小于商业Pt/C催化剂的粒径。这表明,以Pt/Co-PPy-C催化剂为阴极催化剂制备的单电池性能优良,在质子交换膜燃料电池中有广泛的应用前景。     

Study of a highly durable low-humidification membrane electrode assembly using crosslinked polyvinyl alcohol for polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cells

A low-humidification membrane electrode assembly (MEA) for polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cells (PEMFCs) is prepared by adding the hydrophilic polymer: polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) to the anode catalyst layer. Glutaraldehyde (GA) is employed as a crosslinking agent for PVA to prevent washing from the anode during cell operation. This is confirmed by an immersion test in deionized water for 2 h. A single cell test is conducted at 80 °C, ambient pressure, and 50 % relative humidity. Although MEA containing 1 wt% non-crosslinked PVA shows the best initial performance (788 mA cm^?2 at 0.6 V), a considerable performance decrease of 41 % is observed following a 100-h durability test. However, MEA containing 5 wt% crosslinked PVA demonstrates enhanced durability, with little performance decline after 100 h of constant current operation. This strongly suggests that crosslinked PVA plays a crucial role in a low-humidification MEA at low humidity levels.     

静电纺丝制备质子交换膜燃料电池催化剂层综述

质子交换膜燃料电池催化剂层在成本、耐久性以及性能上的局限是制约燃料电池汽车商业化的瓶颈. 已有文献证明静电纺丝技术制备的纳米纤维催化剂层能提高催化剂利用率、增加三相界面和三相通道以及提高耐久性. 作者结合所在课题组的工作综述了静电纺丝技术制备质子交换膜燃料电池催化剂层的研究进展. 首先,介绍了质子交换膜燃料电池催化剂层的发展历程,并从制备方式和结构两个方面对其进行分类和总结;接下来,从静电纺丝纳米纤维催化剂层的制备、物理特性表征、电化学性能分析及耐久性表征等方面进行了总结;最后,从三相界面、三相通道以及量产适用性的视点比较了三种结构的催化剂层,介绍了质子交换膜燃料电池催化剂层的发展趋势,并梳理了静电纺丝法制备质子交换膜燃料电池催化剂层领域待研的问题.     

Anode Catalytic Dependency Behavior on Ionomer Content in Direct CO Polymer Electrolyte Membrane Fuel Cell

In this work, the effect of Nafion ionomer content on the structure and catalytic performance of direct CO polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cell(CO-PEMFC) by using Rh-N-C single-atom catalyst as the anode catalyst layers was studied. The ionic plaque and roughness of the anode catalyst layers increase with the increase of Nafion ionomer content. Furthermore, the contact angle measurement results show that the hydrophilicity of the anode catalyst layers also increases with the increase of Nafion ionomer content. However, when the Nafion ionomer content is too low, the binding between microporous layers, catalyst layers and membrane cannot meet the requirement for either electric conductivity or mass transfer. While Nafion ionomer content increased above 30%, the content of water in anode is difficult to control. Therefore, it was found that AN 30(30% Nafion ionomer content of anode) is the best level to effectively extend the three-phase boundary and improve CO-PEMFCs performance.     

Research on Performance Decay Mechanism of Pt/C Catalyst in Long-Term ORR Test北大核心CSCD

In proton exchange membrane fuel cells,cost,performance and durability are important issues that are need to be resolved before commercialization. The main reason for fuel cell performance degradation during operation is the loss of electrochemical surface area during long-term aging or transient. These losses mainly come from the degradation of the catalyst metal and the corrosion of the carbon support. This is a continuous and irreversible process that will greatly shorten the service life of the fuel cell. In order to explore this problem,20%（mass fraction）Pt/C catalyst is prepared based on carbon carrier etched by sulfuric acid. The morphology characterization test shows that it is uniformly dispersed and uniform in particle size,which is considered as an excellent material for long-term oxygen reduction （ORR） stability test. Next,the ORR stability test method with different cyclic voltammetry （CV） cycles is used to observe its performance degradation,and a series of physical characterizations,e. g. transmission electron microscopy（TEM）,high-resolution electron microscopy（HRTEM）,X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy（XPS）and Raman spectroscopy （Raman）,are used to further intuitively analyzed the attenuation mechanism. It is reported that the reasons for the degradation of the stability of Pt/C catalysts are mainly from the dissolution,agglomeration,oxidation and migration of Pt particles and the corrosion of carbon supports. This study elucidates the source of the impact on the stability of fuel cells during operation,and provides a reference for designing high-stability commercial ORR catalysts. © 2022, Science Press (China). All rights reserved.     

Single-atom Catalysts for Polymer Electrolyte Membrane Fuel Cells

Searching for high-activity, stability and highly cost-effective electrocatalysts for acid oxygen reaction reduction(ORR) has always been an urgent problem in polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cells(PEMFCs). Nonetheless, the electrochemical properties of various systems have their intrinsic limits and tremendous efforts have been paid out to search for highly efficient electrocatalysts by more rational control over the size, morphology, composition, and structure. In particular, single-atom catalysts(SACs) have attracted extensive interest due to theirs excellent activity, stability, selectivity and the highest metal utilization. In recent years, the number of papers in the field of SACs has increased rapidly, indicating that SACs have made great progress. This review focuses on SACs electrochemical applications in the acid ORR and introduces innovative syntheses, fuel cell performance and long-time durability.     

Platinum group metal-free oxygen reduction electrocatalysts used in neutral electrolytes for bioelectrochemical reactor applications

The oxygen reduction reaction is one of the limiting steps in microbial fuel cell performance. M–N–C catalysts (M as transition metal) represent the best compromise of optimal cost, electrocatalytic activity and durability. The Fe-based catalysts were shown to be the best compared with Co-, Mn-, Ni-based catalysts. The addition of the second transition metal such as Mn was shown to increase the selectivity of the reaction and reduce peroxide production. The use of different N–C precursors resulted in diverse surface chemistry that directly affects the performance. Generally, surface chemistry plays a critical role in the electrocatalytic activity. Integration of the catalyst in the air-breathing cathode is also discussed with a performance that is enhanced by: (i) increased catalyst loading; (ii) the addition of graphene to structure.     

Efficient fuel cell catalysts emerging from organometallic chemistry

During the last few decades organometallic methodologies have generated a number of highly effective electrocatalyst systems based on mono‐ and bimetallic nanosparticles having controlled size, composition and structure. In this microreview we summarize our results in fuel cell catalyst preparation applying triorganohydroborate chemistry, ‘reductive particle stabilization’ using organoaluminum compounds, and the controlled decomposition of organometallic complexes. The advantages of organometallic catalyst preparation pathways are exemplified with Ru? Pt nanoparticles@C as promising anode catalysts to be used in direct methanol oxidation fuel cells (DMFC) or in polymer electrolyte fuel cells (PEMFC) running with CO‐contaminated H₂ as the feed. Recent findings with highly efficient PtCo₃@C fuel cell catalysts applied for the oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) and with the effect of Se‐doping on Ru@C ORR catalysts clearly demonstrate the benefits of organometallic catalyst synthesis. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

碳纤维基PtSn催化剂直接乙醇燃料电池制备及性能研究

采用自制的碳纤维基PtSn催化剂薄膜作为阳极催化剂,商用Pt/C作为阴极催化剂,Nafion 115膜作为质子交换膜,通过热压制成膜电极,组装平板型直接乙醇燃料单电池,搭建测试系统并进行性能的测试,研究了温度、乙醇浓度、溶液流量、进气流量等参数对DEFC的影响。结果表明,当乙醇溶液浓度为1.0 mol/L、溶液进样流量为1.0 mL/min、溶液温度为80 ℃、氧气进样流量为100 mL/min时结果较优,单电池的最高功率密度达18.2 mW/cm²。     

介孔结构Fe/N/C作为质子交换膜燃料电池氧还原催化剂

燃料电池具有高效、低排放等优势,非常有希望作为未来电动汽车的能源转化装置.目前,燃料电池的商业化受制于昂贵的铂基催化剂,特别是动力学迟缓的阴极氧还原反应(ORR)铂催化剂. Fe/N/C被认为是最有潜力的ORR非贵金属催化剂,但其活性仍远低于Pt催化剂,必须依靠增加载量来弥补其与Pt催化剂的活性差距.然而,较厚的催化层(~100mm)会降低阴极传质速率.因此,改善Fe/N/C阴极的传质是提高电池性能的重要途径.
　　本文选择高N含量的2-氨基苯并咪唑(ABI)为氮源,通过水热聚合包覆在碳黑表面,然后掺入FeCl3,经高温热解/酸洗制备了Fe/N/C-ABI催化剂,并与基于间苯二胺的微孔型Fe/N/C催化剂(Fe/N/C-PmPDA)进行比较. Ar等温吸附-脱附结果表明, Fe/N/C-ABI催化剂具有较高的比表面积(662 m2/g)和丰富的双级孔结构(微孔和介孔);透射电镜表征显示Fe/N/C-ABI催化剂具有中空结构,介孔孔径大约为10–25 nm.而Fe/N/C-PmPDA催化剂具有相当的比表面积(656 m2/g),但以微孔为主,基本不含介孔.旋转环圆盘电极(RRDE)测试表明,在0.1 mol/L H2SO4溶液中, Fe/N/C-ABI催化剂的起始还原电位为0.92 V,在0.8 V电位下质量电流密度可达9.21 A/g;而Fe/N/C-PmPDA催化剂具有相近的起始电位,但具有更高的催化活性,质量电流密度为13.4 A/g.氢氧燃料电池(PEMFC)系统测试结果表明, Fe/N/C-ABI催化剂在1个背压和80oC测试条件下的最大功率密度达710 mW/cm2,高于Fe/N/C-PmPDA催化剂(616 mW/cm2).燃料电池与RRDE测试活性顺序的差异归结于Fe/N/C-ABI的中空球状结构. PEMFC工作时阴极会产生大量的水,很容易堵塞氧气传输通道. Fe/N/C-ABI的介孔结构可以作为水的产生和排除的缓存空间,也有利于提高O2传质,从而提高燃料电池性能.本文为具有高传质速率的Fe/N/C催化剂研制提供了一种新思路.     

铂合金氧还原催化剂:合成、结构和性能

质子交换膜燃料电池是一种将燃料中的化学能直接转化为电能的装置,它具有转化效率高、能量密度高、低温启动、易于操作等优点,因而被认为是最具发展前景的新能源利用方式,在电动汽车、便携电源及分散式电站有着广泛应用.但是,目前质子交换膜燃料电池技术的发展面临着巨大挑战,主要问题包括高成本、低功率密度和低寿命.众所周知,质子交换膜燃料电池中的阴极氧还原反应在酸性条件下是一个复杂的四电子过程,动力学速度缓慢,限制了电池的最终性能.目前大量使用的阴极氧还原催化剂是细小的铂或铂合金纳米颗粒负载在碳载体上,其成本占燃料电池总成本的比例最大.制约燃料电池商业化发展的另一个重要问题是电池寿命低,其中氧还原催化剂的稳定性是决定电池寿命的主要因素.在这样的研究背景下,如何降低催化剂中铂的用量、提高催化剂活性和稳定性显得尤为重要,这也是近年来国内外学者研究的热点.在铂基合金催化剂中,通常采用过渡金属元素作为掺杂元素,由于原子半径不匹配(几何效应)以及电子结构不同(电子效应),合金催化剂表现出优于纯铂催化剂的催化性能.近几年,对于铂基合金催化剂的研究已取得重大进展,以合金组成和结构研究为基础,通过精确控制原子结构、调控表面电子状态以及制备工艺,获得了各种特殊形貌的催化剂,大大提高了催化活性.本文深入综述了近年来铂基合金氧还原催化剂制备、形貌和性能,特别关注了催化剂形貌和催化活性之间的关系.值得注意的是,具有有序原子排列的铂合金催化剂不仅在半电池中表现出优异活性,在实际质子交换膜燃料电池中也显示了很好的活性和稳定性.另一方面,碳载体的形貌及微观结构也对提高催化活性和稳定性起到决定性作用,通过化学手段加强金属纳米颗粒与碳载体之间的相互作用也是提高催化剂稳定性的重要途径.尽管铂基氧还原催化剂在近几年取得了重要进展,但在实际商业化过程中还存在诸多挑战,本文在综述进展的基础上,对铂基催化剂的发展提出了展望.首先,对于氧还原反应机理仍需要深入研究,采用更加精确的理论模型模拟氧还原动力学过程,以获得影响催化活性的关键因素.其次,提高催化剂在膜电极中的催化活性和利用率.目前,氧还原催化剂在半电池测试中性能优异,但是实际燃料电池操作条件下其性能远不能达到要求,这与膜电极、催化剂层及扩散层结构相关.因此,基于不同铂基催化剂的特性,合理设计膜电极组件的结构是将催化剂进行实际应用的基础.最后,催化剂的稳定性仍需进一步提高,尽管目前大部分催化剂在实验室半电池研究中表现了很好的稳定性,但在实际燃料电池中的稳定性研究还不足,而且对催化剂在膜电极中性能衰退机理的研究也非常有限.因此,对于铂基氧还原催化剂的研发仍需要国内外科研工作者不懈的努力.     

利用MOF-253衍生氮掺杂碳限域效应促进Pt纳米单晶电催化剂的氧析出反应

目前,为了有效解决电化学能量转化反应动力学过程缓慢和商业化应用等问题,需要大力提高催化剂的电催化活性和稳定性,并大幅降低贵金属催化剂的用量.通常,铂(Pt)基催化剂对燃料电池的氧还原反应(ORR)和水电解过程的氢析出反应(HER)表现出很高的活性.然而,对于高效的金属-空气电池和水电解装置,其中的氧析出反应(OER)则需要高活性的非Pt电催化剂来降低电化学过电位及提高其对高电位的耐受性.虽然相较于Pt催化剂,IrO2和RuO2等贵金属催化剂表现出了更高的OER活性,然而,它们的稳定性差,难以满足实际应用需求,严重阻碍了其在金属-空气电池和水电解中的应用.通常,Pt对OER的低效催化主要归因于在OER电催化过程中Pt与电解液直接接触,导致Pt表面快速被氧化,形成Pt氧化物(Pt^+4O2和Pt^+2O)层.形成的Pt氧化物对OER不起催化作用,从而降低了Pt的利用率和总的水电解效率.为了避免Pt表面的快速氧化,实现高的OER性能,我们将Pt金属纳米粒子有效地限域在超薄功能多孔碳层内.前期,已有大量的有关金属基ORR和HER催化剂研究证明,这种策略对于稳定金属纳米颗粒非常有效,可有效避免金属催化剂的快速氧化,而且还可抑制金属颗粒迁移和团聚;此外,还有利于增强催化剂的导电性和离子物种的扩散能力,从而提高催化剂的电催化性能.然而,要达到提高金属催化剂OER电催化性能的目的,还需要设计一种具有优良结构的功能化异质原子掺杂多孔碳基限域材料.金属有机框架(MOF),特别是MOF-253,由于具有较高的柔韧性、丰富的孔、可控的几何结构和高比表面积,被认为是制备功能多孔碳基限域材料的理想前驱体.为此,通过结合功能多孔碳基材料的限域作用及MOF-253和超细Pt纳米单晶的优势,本文合成了MOF-253衍生氮掺杂碳(N/C)限域的Pt纳米单晶(Pt@N/C)核壳型电催化剂.制备的Pt-N-C框架不仅具有超薄的氮掺杂活性多孔碳保护层壳体(平均厚度为0.51 nm),还有具高度分散和稳定化的Pt纳米单晶核体;值得指出的是,因受到碳层的限域作用,即使经900℃的高温处理,Pt纳米单晶仍保持了较小的晶体尺寸(平均粒径仅为6.7 nm);此外,该催化剂的Pt载量较低,仅为6.1wt%(Pt@N/C-10).将其作为OER电催化剂,表现出优异的OER性能:在10 mA cm^-2电流密度下,其过电位仅为298 mV,低于商业IrO2催化剂(353 mV);而且,经2000周加速电位扫描后,其电位仅降低19.4 mV,也低于IrO2(23.3 mV).本文很好地证明了通过构建空间限域结构可以有效解决Pt等金属催化剂因表面氧化而导致OER动力学活性和稳定性低的问题.     

Asymmetric polymer electrolyte membranes for water management of fuel cells

Water management is one of the critical issues of polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cells because dehydration of a membrane increases membrane-resistance whereas excessive water flooding at the cathode impedes the gaseous diffusion of oxygen to reaction sites at the wetted catalyst surface. In this study, we have developed an asymmetric polymer electrolyte membrane that facilitates water management. The structural modification of the membrane strongly affected water management, due primarily to the fact that water must move through the membrane during fuel cell operation. The asymmetric membrane improved transport of water from the cathode to the anode when the hydrophilic side of the membrane located to the cathode, thereby enhancing overall fuel cell performance under both fully humidified and non-humidified conditions.