Durable electrocatalytic-activity of Pt-Au/C cathode in PEMFCs

Longevity remains as one of the central issues in the successful commercialization of polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cells (PEMFCs) and primarily hinges on the durability of the cathode. Incorporation of gold (Au) to platinum (Pt) is known to ameliorate both the electrocatalytic activity and stability of cathode in relation to pristine Pt-cathodes that are currently being used in PEMFCs. In this study, an accelerated stress test (AST) is conducted to simulate prolonged fuel-cell operating conditions by potential cycling the carbon-supported Pt-Au (Pt-Au/C) cathode. The loss in performance of PEMFC with Pt-Au/C cathode is found to be ～10% after 7000 accelerated potential-cycles as against ～60% for Pt/C cathode under similar conditions. These data are in conformity with the electrochemical surface-area values. PEMFC with Pt-Au/C cathode can withstand >10,000 potential cycles with very little effect on its performance. X-ray diffraction and transmission electron microscopy studies on the catalyst before and after AST suggest that incorporating Au with Pt helps mitigate aggregation of Pt particles during prolonged fuel-cell operations while X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy reflects that the metallic nature of Pt is retained in the Pt-Au catalyst during AST in comparison to Pt/C that shows a major portion of Pt to be present as oxidic platinum. Field-emission scanning electron microscopy conducted on the membrane electrode assembly before and after AST suggests that incorporating Au with Pt helps mitigating deformations in the catalyst layer.     

Membraneless, room-temperature, direct borohydride/cerium fuel cell with power density of over 0.25 W/cm2

The widespread adoption and deployment of fuel cells as an alternative energy technology have been hampered by a number of formidable technical challenges, including the cost and long-term stability of electrocatalyst and membrane materials. We present a microfluidic fuel cell that overcomes many of these obstacles while achieving power densities in excess of 250 mW/cm(2). The poisoning and sluggish reaction rate associated with CO-contaminated H(2) and methanol, respectively, are averted by employing the promising, high-energy density fuel borohydride. The high-overpotential reaction of oxygen gas at the cathode is supplanted by the high-voltage reduction of cerium ammonium nitrate. Expensive, ineffective membrane materials are replaced with laminar flow and a nonselective, porous convection barrier to separate the fuel and oxidant streams. The result is a Nafion-free, room-temperature fuel cell that has the highest power density per unit mass of Pt catalyst employed for a non-H(2) fuel cell, and exceeds the power density of a typical H(2) fuel cell by 50%.     

质子交换膜燃料电池MnO2-Pt/C复合催化剂阴极的富氧作用

质子交换膜燃料电池空气电极阴极催化剂的富氧作用是提高其性能的关键.应用化学氧化法制备MnO2-Pt/C复合催化剂,研究MnO2的富氧作用,应用CV、CP、TEM等方法表征该催化剂,并组装成单电池测试其性能.     

YSZ传导膜H_2S固体氧化物燃料电池

研究了Y2O3稳定的ZrO2(YSZ)氧离子传导膜H2S固体氧化物燃料电池性能。掺杂NiS、电解质、Ag粉和淀粉制备了双金属复合MoS2阳极催化剂,掺杂电解质、Ag粉和淀粉制备了复合NiO阴极催化剂,用扫描电镜对YSZ和膜电极组装(MEA)进行了表征,比较了不同电极催化剂的性能和极化过程,考察了不同温度对电池性能的影响。结果表明,双金属复合MoS2/NiS阳极催化剂在H2S环境下比Pt和单金属MoS2催化剂稳定,复合NiO阴极催化剂比Pt性能好,在电极催化剂中加入Ag可显著提高电极的导电性;与Pt电极相比,复合MoS2阳极和复合NiO阴极催化剂的过电位较小,阳极的极化比阴极侧小;温度升高,电池的电流密度与功率密度增加,电化学性能变好。在750℃、800℃、850℃和900℃及101.13 kPa时,结构为H2S、(复合MoS2阳极催化剂)/YSZ氧离子传导膜/(复合NiO阴极催化剂)、空气的燃料电池最大功率密度分别为30 mW/cm2、70 mW/cm2、155 mW/cm2及295 mW/cm2、最大电流密度分别为120 mA/cm2、240 mA/cm2、560 mA/cm2和890 mA/cm2。     

质子交换膜燃料电池Pt/C阴极氧还原动力学模拟

质子交换膜燃料电池的商业化应用迫切要求降低其Pt载量. 本文通过Pt/C氧还原电极的动力学模型计算,研究了Pt/C电极中的氧分布、生成电流以及满足实际应用的最小Pt载量. 结果表明：燃料电池Pt/C电极,阴极产生严重浓差极化的催化层厚度为40mm;功率密度达到1.4 W•cm^-2（2.1 A•cm^-2@0.67 V）的电池性能需要3mm左右的Pt/C阴极催化层,阴极Pt载量为0.122 mg•cm^-2,即可使膜电极的阴极铂用量低于0.087 g•kW^-1.     

无机胶体法制备Pt/C催化剂及其性能表征

采用无机胶体法制备用于质子交换膜燃料电池(PEMFC)的Pt/C催化剂。研究了影响PtO₂胶体生成和稳定性的因素(溶液的pH值、浓度和温度条件等)以及不同还原剂浓度对Pt/C催化剂性能的影响。透射电子显微镜测试结果表明，采用经优化的工艺条件所制备的Pt/C催化剂平均粒径为3 nm，且分散性好、粒度均匀。X-射线衍射分析表明，催化剂中Pt(111)晶面的相对含量较高，有利于加速氧还原反应。单体PEMFC的电压/电流密度曲线测试表明，所制备的Pt/C催化剂具有良好的电化学性能。     

聚合物电解质膜燃料电池薄电极制备技术的研究

为降低聚合物电解质膜燃料电池 (PEMFC)电极中铂的载量 ,本文建立一种新的薄电极制备技术 (TEFT) ,制备了表面平滑、颗粒分布均匀的低铂载量电极 .结果表明当电极的铂载量为 1mg/cm2 ,用Nafion 117膜作电解质时 ,电池的最大功率密度达 0 30W·cm-2 .系统地考察了阴极中不同PTFE和Nafion含量对PEMFC性能的影响 .     

Iodinated carbon materials for oxygen reduction reaction in proton exchange membrane fuel cell. Scalable synthesis and electrochemical performances

Doped graphene-based cathode catalysts are considered as promising competitors for ORR, but their power density has been low compared to Pt-based cathodes, mainly due to poor mass-transport properties. A new electrocatalyst for PEMFCs, an iodine doped grahene was prepared, characterized, and tested and the results are presented in this paper. We report a hybrid derived electrocatalyst with increased electrochemical active area and enhanced mass-transport properties. The electrochemical performances of several configurations were tested and compared with a typical Pt/C cathode configuration. As a standalone catalyst, the iodine doped graphene gives a performance with 60% lower than if it is placed between gas diffusion layer and catalyst layer. If it is included as microporous layer, the electrochemical performances of the fuel cell are with 15% bigger in terms of power density than the typical fuel cell with the same Pt/C loading, proving the beneficial effect of the iodine doped graphene for the fuel cell in the ohmic and mass transfer region. Moreover, the hybrid cathode manufactured by commercial Pt/C together with the material with best proprieties, is tested in a H₂-Air fuel cell and a power density of 0.55 W cm⁻² at 0.52 V was obtained, which is superior to that of a commercial Pt-based cathode tested under identical conditions (0.46 W cm⁻²).     

Effects of different Pt-M (M = Fe,Co, Ni) alloy as cathodic catalyst on the performance of two-chambered microbial fuel cells

For the purpose of reducing the cost and improving the performance of cathodes in microbial fuel cells (MFCs), we prepared Pt/C and Pt-M/C (M = Ni, Co, Fe) electrodes, and characterized them by SEM, XRD and CV. The modified electrodes were used as the cathodes in double-chambered MFCs fed with synthetic medium and molasses sewage respectively. We have found that Pt-M/C catalysts had a better catalytic activity for oxygen reduction than Pt/C in the following order: Pt-Fe/C > Pt-Co/C > Pt-Ni/C > Pt/C. The maximum power density of the MFCs with Pt-M/C cathode was improved by 18–31% compared with the MFC with Pt/C cathode because of the decrease of activation loss in the cathode. This study shows that Pt-M/C catalysts can improve power generation of MFCs without affecting the COD removal and it is proposed that Pt-Fe functions best among the three Pt-M alloys as an efficient and cost-effective catalyst of MFCs.     

Pt/WO_3/C nanocomposite with parallel WO_3 nanorods as cathode catalyst for proton exchange membrane fuel cells

Pt/WO3/C nanocomposites with parallel WO3 nanorods were synthesized and applied as the cathode catalyst for proton exchange membrane fuel cells(PEMFCs). Electrochemical results and single cell tests show that an enhanced activity for the oxygen reduction reaction(ORR) is obtained for the Pt/WO3/C catalyst compared with Pt/C. The higher catalytic activity might be ascribed to the improved Pt dispersion with smaller particle sizes. The Pt/WO3/C catalyst also exhibits a good electrochemical stability under potential cycling. Thus, the Pt/WO3/C catalyst can be used as a potential PEMFC cathode catalyst.     

Highly improved oxygen reduction performance over Pt/C-dispersed nanowire network catalysts

Electrochemical reduction of oxygen is studied over a novel nanowire network catalyst made of highly-dispersed Pt nanoparticles into electrospun Pt nanowire network architecture, which shows an excellent mass activity increase by 50% or higher per equal Pt mass than the conventional cathode electrocatalysts of Pt/C in polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cells.     

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.     

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.     

Characterization of Pt nanoparticles deposited onto carbon nanotubes grown on carbon paper and evaluation of this electrode for the reduction of oxygen

Multiwalled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) were grown on the fibers of a commercial porous carbon paper used as carbon-collecting electrodes in fuel cells. The tubes were then covered with Pt nanoparticles in order to test these gas diffusion electrodes (GDEs) for oxygen reduction in H2SO4 solution and in H2/O2 fuel cells. The Pt nanoparticles were characterized by cyclic voltammetry, transmission electron microscopy, and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. The majority of the Pt particles are 3 nm in size with a mean size of 4.1 nm. They have an electrochemically active surface area of 60 m2/g Pt for Pt loadings of 0.1-0.45 mg Pt/cm2. Although the electroactive Pt surface area is larger for commercial electrodes of similar loadings, Pt/MWCNT electrodes largely outperform the commercial electrode for the oxygen reduction reaction in GDE experiments using H2SO4 at pH 1. On the other hand, when the same electrodes are used as the cathode in a H2/O2 fuel cell, they perform only slightly better than the commercial electrodes in the potential range going from approximately 0.9 to approximately 0.7 V and have a lower performance at lower voltages.     

导电聚合物/贵金属复合材料应用于C1小分子电催化氧化

低温燃料电池作为一种新型的能源装置,具有能量转换效率高、工作温度低、无污染、液体燃料处理简单、启动迅速等诸多优点,已成为世界各国竞相研究的热点。有机小分子的高效电催化氧化直接关系到低温燃料电池的发展和应用。低温燃料电池的电极材料主要是碳/贵金属复合材料,碳载体易导致贵金属粒子团聚、且易发生电氧化腐蚀等缺点降低了贵金属的利用率和电池的使用寿命。导电聚合物具有高的抗腐蚀性、高的表面积、低电阻和高稳定性得到很大关注。本文综述了近年来国内外导电聚合物/金属复合电极材料在燃料电池中的研究进展。     

乙烷PBI/H_3PO_4质子传导膜燃料电池性能

研究了以乙烷作为燃料、掺杂了H3PO4的聚苯并咪唑(PBI)材料作为质子传导膜、Pt/C作为电极催化剂构成的燃料电池电化学性能。采用溶液铸造法制备了PBI/H3PO4质子传导膜,考察了在PBI膜中H3PO4的掺杂量与时间的关系及乙烷气体在增湿和不增湿条件下PBI/H3PO4燃料电池的电化学性能;探讨了电池的反应机理及不同操作温度对电池性能的影响。结果表明,PBI膜H3PO4适宜的掺杂时间为8h,电解质中掺杂600mol%H3PO4;乙烷气体增湿后,电池性能变好;操作温度提高,电化学反应速率加快,电池的输出电流与功率密度增加。结构为C2H6,(Pt/C阳极)/PBI/H3PO4膜/(Pt/C阴极),O2的单电池,在200℃和0.1Mpa、乙烷气体的湿度从0增加到0.02kgH2O/kg乙烷时,电池的最大输出电流密度从1.5mA·cm-2增加到34mA·cm-2,最大功率密度从0.33mW·cm-2增加到5.5mW·cm-2。     

Pt纳米粒子修饰的多孔硅电极的制备及其电催化性能

通过循环伏安法电沉积使直径约为7 nm的Pt纳米粒子均匀地分散于多孔硅表面, 拟用作微型质子交换膜燃料电池的催化电极. 与刷涂法相比较, 电沉积Pt纳米粒子的多孔硅电极(Pt/Si)呈现出高的Pt利用率和增强的电催化活性. 当Pt载量为0.38 mg•cm−2时, 其电化学活性比表面积高达148 cm2•mg−1, 是刷涂相近质量的纳米Pt/C催化剂的多孔硅电极Pt-C/Si的2倍多；该修饰电极对甲醇氧化也呈现了增强的催化性能和好的稳定性, 在0.5 V(vs SCE)极化1 h后电流密度为4.52 mA•cm−2, 而刷涂了相近Pt量的Pt-C/Si电极的电流密度只有0.36 mA•cm−2.     

用于质子交换膜燃料电池抗CO的Pt-CeO2/C催化剂的制备和表征

采用一步沉淀法,制备了纳米级Pt-CeO2/C电催化剂.透射电镜和X射线衍射表征结果表明,制备的催化剂Pt颗粒均匀分散于碳载体表面,其粒径主要分布于1.5～2.5 nm.将Pt-CeO2/C催化剂制备成质子交换膜燃料电池膜电极,经循环伏安和单电池极化曲线测试发现,Pt-CeO2/C催化剂性能与Pt/C催化剂的相当.一氧...     

Atomic layer deposition of ultrathin layered TiO_2 on Pt/C cathode catalyst for extended durability in polymer electrolyte fuel cells

This study shows the preparation of a TiO_2 coated Pt/C(TiO_2/Pt/C) by atomic layer deposition(ALD),and the examination of the possibility for TiO_2/Pt/C to be used as a durable cathode catalyst in polymer electrolyte fuel cells(PEFCs). Cyclic voltammetry results revealed that TiO_2/Pt/C catalyst which has 2 nm protective layer showed similar activity for the oxygen reduction reaction compared to Pt/C catalysts and they also had good durability. TiO_2/Pt/C prepared by 10 ALD cycles degraded 70% after 2000 Accelerated degradation test, while Pt/C corroded 92% in the same conditions. TiO_2 ultrathin layer by ALD is able to achieve a good balance between the durability and activity, leading to TiO_2/Pt/C as a promising cathode catalyst for PEFCs. The mechanism of the TiO_2 protective layer used to prevent the degradation of Pt/C is discussed.     

Microfluidic devices for energy conversion: planar integration and performance of a passive, fully immersed H2-O2 fuel cell

We describe the fabrication and performance of a passive, microfluidics-based H2-O2 microfluidic fuel cell using thin film Pt electrodes embedded in a poly(dimethylsiloxane) (PDMS) device. The electrode array is fully immersed in a liquid electrolyte confined inside the microchannel network, which serves also as a thin gas-permeable membrane through which the reactants are fed to the electrodes. The cell operates at room temperature with a maximum power density of around 700 microW/cm(2), while its performance, as recorded by monitoring the corresponding polarization curves and the power density plots, is affected by the pH of the electrolyte, its concentration, the surface area of the Pt electrodes, and the thickness of the PDMS membrane. The best results were obtained in basic solutions using electrochemically roughened Pt electrodes, the roughness factor, R(f), of which was around 90 relative to a smooth Pt film. In addition, the operating lifetime of the fuel cell was found to be longer for the one using higher surface area electrodes.