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.     

Progress of Self-Humidifying Membrane Electrode Assembly for Low Temperature Proton Exchange Membrane Fuel Cell北大核心CSCD

The self/non-humidification membrane electrode assembly（SH-MEA）is an important pathway towards the self- humidification fuel cell and plays a crucial role for the large scale commercialization of low temperature proton exchange membrane fuel cell (LT-PEMFC), because it not only can reduce the volume and complexity of fuel cell system, resulting in the decrease of the cost, but also can improve the output power density of the fuel cell system.Currently, the researches on the self-humidifying MEA of LT-PEMFC mainly focus on three aspects: the preparation of self-humidification proton exchange membrane, the construction of self-humidification catalyst layer, and the construction of composite self-humidifying layers.In this paper, the research progress and development trend in self-humidifying MEA for low temperature proton exchange membrane fuel cell in recent years are reviewed. © 2018 Chinese Chemical Society. All rights reserved.     

Carbon matrix effects on the micro-structure and performance of Pt nanowire cathode prepared by decal transfer method

High performance cathode for polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cell was prepared by depositing Pt nanowires in a carbon matrix coated on a substrate, and using decal transfer method to fabricate the membrane electrode assembly. The effects of carbon and ionomer contents on the electrode micro-structure and fuel cell performance are investigated by physical characterization and single cell testing. The Pt nanowires are gradient distributed across the cathode thickness, and more Pt exists near the membrane. Both the carbon and ionomer contents can affect the Pt nanowires distribution and aggregation. In addition, the carbon loading dominates the transport distance of gas and proton, and the ionomer content affects the triple phase boundaries and porosity in the cathode. The optimal structure of Pt nanowire cathode is obtained at0.10 mg cm-2carbon loading and 10 wt% ionomer.     

COVER

正The cover image depicts future vehicles powered by fuel cells with rationally designed non-precious-metal-based catalyst layers. In article No. 2010048, Hu et al. reviewed the recent efforts toward the development of non-precious-metal-N-C electrocatalysts for proton exchange membrane fuel cells, emphasizing on the improvement of their stability and activity at the device level.     

In situ grown nanoscale platinum on carbon powder as catalyst layer in proton exchange membrane fuel cells(PEMFCs)

An extensive study has been conducted on the proton exchange membrane fuel cells(PEMFCs) with reducing Pt loading.This is commonly achieved by developing methods to increase the utilization of the platinum in the catalyst layer of the electrodes.In this paper,a novel process of the catalyst layers was introduced and investigated.A mixture of carbon powder and Nafion solution was sprayed on the glassy carbon electrode(GCE) to form a thin carbon layer.Then Pt particles were deposited on the surface by reducing hexachloroplatinic(Ⅳ) acid hexahydrate with methanoic acid.SEM images showed a continuous Pt gradient profile among the thickness direction of the catalytic layer by the novel method.The Pt nanowires grown are in the size of 3 nm(diameter) x 10 nm(length) by high solution TEM image.The novel catalyst layer was characterized by cyclic voltammetry(CV) and scanning electron microscope(SEM) as compared with commercial Pt/C black and Pt catalyst layer obtained from sputtering.The results showed that the platinum nanoparticles deposited on the carbon powder were highly utilized as they directly faced the gas diffusion layer and offered easy access to reactants(oxygen or hydrogen).     

Preparation and evaluation of crosslinked sulfonated polyphosphazene with poly(aryloxy cyclotriphosphazene) for proton exchange membrane

Several crosslinked proton exchange membranes with high proton conductivities and low methanol permeability coefficients were prepared, based on the sulfonated poly[(4-fluorophenoxy)(phenoxy)] phosphazene(SPFPP) and newly synthesized water soluble sulfonated poly(cyclophosphazene)(SPCP) containing clustered flexible pendant sulfonic acids. The structure of SPCP was characterized by fourier transform infrared spectroscopy(FTIR) and ~1H NMR spectra. The membranes showed moderate proton conductivities and much lower methanol permeability coefficients when compared to Nafion 117. Transmission electron microscopy(TEM) results indicated the well-defined phase separation between the locally and densely sulfonated units and hydrophobic units, which induced efficient proton conduction. In comparison with SPFPP membrane, the proton conductivities, oxidative stabilities and mechanical properties of crosslinked membranes remarkably were improved. The selectivity values of all the crosslinked membranes were also much higher than that of Nafion 117(0.74×10~5S· s/cm~3). These results suggested that the c SPFPP/SPCP membranes were promising candidate materials for proton exchange membrane in direct methanol fuel cells.     

Preparation and characterization of Ti0.7Sn0.3O2 as catalyst support for oxygen reduction reaction

Sn-doped TiO_2 nanoparticles with high surface area of 125.7 m~2·g~(-1) are synthesized via a simple one-step hydrothermai method and explored as the cathode catalyst support for proton exchange membrane fuel cells.The synthesized support materials are studied by X-ray diffraction analysis,energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy and transmission electron microscopy.It is found that the conductivity has been greatly improved by the addition of 30 mol%Sn and Pt nanoparticles are well dispersed on Ti_(0.7)Sn_(0.3)O_2 support with an average size of 2.44 run.Electrochemical studies show that the Ti_(0.7)Sn_(0.3)O_2 nanoparticles have excellent electrochemical stability under a high potential compared to Vulcan XC-72.The as-synthesized Pt/Ti_(0.7)Sn_(0.3)O_2 exhibits high and stable electrocatalytic activity for the oxygen reduction reaction.The Pt/Ti_(0.7)Sn_(0.3)O_2 catalyst reserves most of its electrochemically active surface area(ECA),and its half wave potential difference is 11 mV,which is lower than that of Pt/XC-72(36 mV) under 10 h potential hold at 1.4 V vs.NHE.In addition,the ECA degradation of Pt/Ti_(0.7)Sn_(0.3)O_2is 1.9 times lower than commercial Pt/XC-72 under 500 potential cycles between 0.6 V and 1.2 V vs.NHE.Therefore,the as synthesized Pt/Ti_(0.7)Sn_(0.3)O_2 can be considered as a promising alternative cathode,catalyst for proton exchange membrane fuel cells.     

Preparation and characterization of Ti_(0.7)Sn_(0.3)O_2 as catalyst support for oxygen reduction reaction

Sn-doped TiO_2 nanoparticles with high surface area of 125.7 m~2·g~(-1) are synthesized via a simple one-step hydrothermai method and explored as the cathode catalyst support for proton exchange membrane fuel cells.The synthesized support materials are studied by X-ray diffraction analysis,energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy and transmission electron microscopy.It is found that the conductivity has been greatly improved by the addition of 30 mol%Sn and Pt nanoparticles are well dispersed on Ti_(0.7)Sn_(0.3)O_2 support with an average size of 2.44 run.Electrochemical studies show that the Ti_(0.7)Sn_(0.3)O_2 nanoparticles have excellent electrochemical stability under a high potential compared to Vulcan XC-72.The as-synthesized Pt/Ti_(0.7)Sn_(0.3)O_2 exhibits high and stable electrocatalytic activity for the oxygen reduction reaction.The Pt/Ti_(0.7)Sn_(0.3)O_2 catalyst reserves most of its electrochemically active surface area(ECA),and its half wave potential difference is 11 mV,which is lower than that of Pt/XC-72(36 mV) under 10 h potential hold at 1.4 V vs.NHE.In addition,the ECA degradation of Pt/Ti_(0.7)Sn_(0.3)O_2is 1.9 times lower than commercial Pt/XC-72 under 500 potential cycles between 0.6 V and 1.2 V vs.NHE.Therefore,the as synthesized Pt/Ti_(0.7)Sn_(0.3)O_2 can be considered as a promising alternative cathode,catalyst for proton exchange membrane fuel cells.     

Carbon to electricity in a solid oxide fuel cell combined with an internal catalytic gasification process

This study explores strategies to develop highly efficient direct carbon fuel cells (DCFCs) by com‐bining a solid‐oxide fuel cell (SOFC) with a catalyst‐aided carbon‐gasification process. This system employs Cu/CeO2 composites as both anodic electrodes and carbon additives in a cell of the type:carbon|Cu‐CeO2/YSZ/Ag|air. The study investigates the impact on in situ carbon‐gasification and DCFC performance characteristics of catalyst addition and variation in the carrier gas used (inert He versus reactive CO2). The results indicate that cell performance is significantly improved by infusing the catalyst into the carbon feedstock and by employing CO2 as the carrier gas. At 800 °C, the maxi‐mum power output is enhanced by approximately 40% and 230% for carbon/CO2 and car‐bon/catalyst/CO2 systems, respectively, compared with that of the carbon/He configuration. The increase observed when employing the catalyst and CO2 as the carrier gas can be primarily at‐tributed to the pronounced effect of the catalyst on carbon‐gasification through the re‐verse‐Boudouard reaction, and the subsequent in situ electro‐oxidation of CO at the anode three‐phase boundary.     

BLEND MEMBRANES FOR DIRECT METHANOL AND PROTON EXCHANGE MEMBRANE FUEL CELLS

Sulphonated polystyrene ethylene butylene polystyrene(SPSEBS)prepared with 35%sulphonation was found to be highly elastic and enlarged up to 300%-400%of its initial length.It absorbed over 110%of water by weight.A major drawback of this membrane is its poor mechanical properties which are not adequate for use as polymer electrolytes in fuel cells.To overcome this,SPSEBS was blended with poly(vinylidene fluoride)(PVDF),a hydrophobic polymer.The blend membranes showed better mechanical properties than the base polymer.The effect of PVDF content on water uptake,ion exchange capacity and proton conductivity of the blend membranes was investigated.This paper presents the results of recent studies applied to develop an optimized in-house membrane electrode assembly(MEA)preparation technique combining catalyst ink spraying and assembly hot pressing.Easy steps were chosen in this preparation technique in order to simplify the method,aiming at cost reduction.The open circuit voltage for the cell with SPSEBS is 0.980 V which is higher compared to that of the cell with Nafion 117(0.790 V).From this study,it is concluded that a polymer electrolyte membrane suitable for proton exchange membrane fuel cell(PEMFC)and direct methanol fuel cell(DMFC)application can be obtained by blending SPSEBS and PVDF in appropriate proportions.The methanol permeability and selectivity showed a strong influence on DMFC performance.     

电位置换反应在空心结构Pt基燃料电池纳米催化剂中的研究进展

Pt基催化剂是质子交换膜燃料电池难以替代的催化剂,然而低储量高成本的Pt严重制约其商业化进程。如何在减少贵金属Pt用量的同时提高其电催化性能是该领域的核心问题之一。空心结构纳米催化剂活性面积大,催化活性高,稳定性好且显著减少贵金属的用量,其制备方法众多,其中电位置换法无需额外的去核、无需对模板表面进行功能化且易于控制,是制备空心结构纳米材料的主要方法。本文综述了近年来国内外利用电位置换反应制备空心Pt基纳米催化剂的最新进展,并对其发展和应用前景进行了展望。     

燃料电池纳米催化剂的稳定化

低温燃料电池是理想的移动式电源,它所采用的电催化剂主要为Pt基贵金属纳米催化剂。提高纳米催化剂在电池内部环境中的稳定性、抑制其活性衰减,对于延长低温燃料电池的使用寿命和节约成本具有十分重要的意义。本文从三个方面综述了近年来在低温燃料电池纳米催化剂稳定化方面的研究进展。首先,通过载体效应实现催化剂的稳定化,包括碳载体的石墨化、碳载体的掺杂、表面功能化及其他载体的采用等。其次,通过空间效应实现催化剂的稳定化,包括催化剂粒子表面覆盖、催化剂粒子微孔嵌入、催化剂表面杂多酸单层自组装及聚合物电解质空间阻隔等。再其次,通过协同效应实现催化剂的稳定化,包括提升金属粒子的氧化电位、强化组分间的相互作用等。最后,对低温燃料电池纳米催化剂稳定化的发展前景进行了展望。     

Adsorbed Intermediates in Oxygen Reduction on Platinum Nanoparticles Observed by In Situ IR Spectroscopy

The sluggish kinetics of oxygen reduction to water remains a significant limitation in the viability of proton‐exchange‐membrane fuel cells, yet details of the four‐electron oxygen reduction reaction remain elusive. Herein, we apply in situ infrared spectroscopy to probe the surface chemistry of a commercial carbon‐supported Pt nanoparticle catalyst during oxygen reduction. The IR spectra show potential‐dependent appearance of adsorbed superoxide and hydroperoxide intermediates on Pt. This strongly supports an associative pathway for oxygen reduction. Analysis of the adsorbates alongside the catalytic current suggests that another pathway must also be in operation, consistent with a parallel dissociative pathway.     

Microfluidic Synthesis Enables Dense and Uniform Loading of Surfactant‐Free PtSn Nanocrystals on Carbon Supports for Enhanced Ethanol Oxidation

Developing new synthetic methods for carbon supported catalysts with improved performance is of fundamental importance in advancing proton exchange membrane fuel cell (PEMFC) technology. Continuous‐flow, microfluidic reactions in capillary tube reactors are described, which are capable of synthesizing surfactant‐free, ultrafine PtSn alloyed nanoparticles (NPs) on various carbon supports (for example, commercial carbon black particles, carbon nanotubes, and graphene sheets). The PtSn NPs are highly crystalline with sizes smaller than 2 nm, and they are highly dispersed on the carbon supports with high loadings up to 33 wt %. These characteristics make the as‐synthesized carbon‐supported PtSn NPs more efficient than state of the art commercial Pt/C catalysts applied to the ethanol oxidation reaction (EOR). Significantly enhanced mass catalytic activity (two‐times that of Pt/C) and improved stability are obtained.     

Ni3N as an Active Hydrogen Oxidation Reaction Catalyst in Alkaline Medium

Hydroxide‐exchange membrane fuel cells can potentially utilize platinum‐group‐metal (PGM)‐free electrocatalysts, offering cost and scalability advantages over more developed proton‐exchange membrane fuel cells. However, there is a lack of non‐precious electrocatalysts that are active and stable for the hydrogen oxidation reaction (HOR) relevant to hydroxide‐exchange membrane fuel cells. Here we report the discovery and development of Ni₃N as an active and robust HOR catalyst in alkaline medium. A supported version of the catalyst, Ni₃N/C, exhibits by far the highest mass activity and break‐down potential for a PGM‐free catalyst. The catalyst also exhibits Pt‐like activity for hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) in alkaline medium. Spectroscopy data reveal a downshift of the Ni d band going from Ni to Ni₃N and interfacial charge transfer from Ni₃N to the carbon support. These properties weaken the binding energy of hydrogen and oxygen species, resulting in remarkable HOR activity and stability.     

Current challenges related to the deployment of shape-controlled Pt alloy oxygen reduction reaction nanocatalysts into low Pt-loaded cathode layers of proton exchange membrane fuel cells

The reduction of the amount of platinum used in proton exchange membrane fuel cell cathodes at constant power density helps lower the cell stack cost of fuel cell electric vehicles. Recent screening studies using the thin film rotating disk electrode technique have identified an ever-growing number of Pt-based nanocatalysts with oxygen reduction reaction Pt-mass activities that allow for a substantial projected decrease in the geometric platinum loading at the cathode layer. However, the step from a rotating disk electrode test to a membrane electrode assembly test has proved a formidable task. The deployment of advanced, often shape-controlled dealloyed Pt alloy nanocatalysts in actual cathode layers of proton exchange membrane fuel cells has remained extremely challenging with respect to their actual catalytic activity under hydrogen/oxygen flow, their hydrogen/air performance at high current densities, and their morphological stability under prolonged fuel cell operations. In this review, we discuss some of these challenges, yet also propose possible solutions to understand the challenges and to eventually unfold the full potential of advanced Pt-based alloy oxygen reduction reaction catalysts in fuel cell electrode layers.     

Enhanced stability of symmetrical polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cell single cells based on novel hierarchical microporous-mesoporous carbon supports

Fuel cell electrodes were prepared from Pt nanocluster activated hierarchical microporous-mesoporous carbon powders. The carbon supports were synthesized from molybdenum carbide applying the high-temperature chlorination method. Six different synthesis temperatures within the range from 600 to 1000 °C were used for preparation of carbon supports. Thermogravimetric analysis, X-ray diffraction, low-temperature nitrogen sorption, and high-resolution scanning electron microscopy methods were used to characterize the structure of the electrode materials and symmetrical membrane electrode assemblies (MEAs). The MEAs prepared were used to conduct the proton exchange membrane fuel cell (PEMFC)single-cell measurements. The polarization and power density curves for single cells were calculated to evaluate the activity of the catalyst materials synthesized. The electrochemically active surface area (from 2.4 to 11.9 m² g^?1) was obtained in order to estimate the contact surface areas of platinum and Nafion® electrolyte. The values of the electrolyte resistance, polarization resistance, and cell degradation rate were calculated from electrochemical impedance spectroscopy data. The carbon materials synthesized within temperature range from 600 to 850 °C were found to be the most suitable supports for PEMFCs, having higher maximum power density values and better stability (cell potential degradation 240 μV h^?1) than commercial carbon-based (Vulcan XC72; 670 μV h^?1) single cells.     

燃料电池Pt基核壳结构电催化剂的最新研究进展

综述了用于燃料电池的Pt基核壳结构电催化剂的制备方法和表征方法的最新研究进展.首先,详细介绍了核壳结构催化剂的制备方法,主要包括胶体法、电化学法和化学还原法等.其中胶体法的应用最为广泛,制备过程简单易控;电化学法和化学还原法在最近几年得到了迅速发展,并有望用于核壳结构电催化剂的批量化生产.其次,简单阐述了核壳结构电催化剂特用的表征方法.其中高角度环形暗场-扫描透射电子显微镜是近年来发展的一种新技术,它利用暗场强度与原子序数的比例关系可以有效地表征核壳电催化剂的特殊结构.最后,总结了存在的问题并展望了可能的发展方向.     

铂基氧还原电催化剂的结构演变

质子交换膜燃料电池的商业化有望在不久的将来实现更清洁的能源社会.然而,氧还原反应缓慢的反应动力学和苛刻的条件对质子交换膜燃料电池的寿命和成本产生了巨大的挑战.之前大多数铂基催化剂的设计都将重点更多地放在提高活性上.随着质子交换膜燃料电池的商业化,寿命问题也受到了更多的关注.对整个生命周期中结构演变进行深入地了解,有助于...