墨水溶剂对低铂含量质子交换膜燃料电池性能的影响

Owing to the scarcity of platinum, it is of high importance to develop electrodes with low platinum metal loading and to thereby improve the utilization of Pt for the commercialization of proton-exchange membrane fuel cells (PEMFCs). In comparison to conventional high-platinum electrodes, the thickness of the catalyst layer (CL) is thinner and the interatomic Pt spacing is larger for the low-Pt loading electrodes. The distribution of electrolyte ionomer and the electrode morphology, which are strongly influenced by the solvents used in the fabrication process, are therefore increasingly important factors for achieving high performance in the membrane electrode assembly (MEA). In this work, different solvents with various dielectric constants and evaporation rates were used to prepare the inks for low-Pt loading cathode (0.1 mg·cm^-2) fabrication. First, the inks were fabricated by dispersing the catalyst and ionomer in different solvents which were then coated onto carbon paper to prepare the gas diffusion electrodes. The anode and cathode electrodes were then hot-pressed together with the Nafion membrane to produce the MEAs. The results showed a mixture of isopropanol-water (4:1) yielded the best-performing MEA during the single-cell tests compared to the other solvents tested. In order to elucidate the relationship between the performance of MEAs and the solvents, the structure and the surface morphology of the CL and the distribution of Nafion ionomer in the CL was characterized using scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). A comparison of the SEM and TEM images of representative samples indicated that the best performing electrode had a much improved homogeneity in the surface morphology as well as the dispersion of catalyst and ionomer. This was because of the moderate evaporation rate and better dispersion, caused by the increased hydrogen bonding and high dielectric constant, respectively. The results from dynamic light scattering (DLS) showed that the size of the catalyst and ionomer aggregates are influenced by the solvents. It is suggested that larger aggregates might help the formation of holes in the CL for gas diffusion and water removal, with the optimum size found to be around 400–800 nm. In conclusion, the MEA fabricated from the isopropanol-water solvent exhibited a significantly increased power density (1.79 W·cm^-2), and the utilization of Pt was increased to approximately 0.047 mg·W^-1, which is among the best-performing fuel cells reported to date.     

分散溶剂对PEMFC催化层中超薄Nafion离聚物质子传导的影响

质子交换膜燃料电池(PEMFC)商业化应用的瓶颈仍然是贵金属催化剂导致的成本问题。然而,目前对于催化层中纳米尺度全氟磺酸离聚物(以Nafion为代表)薄膜中质子传导的问题研究不足,无法完善三相界面的成型规律,进而指导催化层设计。在催化层浆料制备过程中,分散溶剂对Nafion的分散形态有直接影响,可能对催化层成型后附着在催化剂颗粒表面Nafion薄膜的微观结构有潜在影响,进而影响Nafion薄膜的质子传导能力。因此,在本文中利用分子自组装技术模拟催化层离聚物薄膜的聚集过程,于模型基底上制备厚度精确可控的纳米尺度Nafion薄膜,并通过微观测试表征技术探索并建立纳米尺度Nafion离聚物的微观结构模型,阐明分散溶剂对Nafion薄膜微观结构及质子传导的影响。研究发现Nafion薄膜在纳米尺度下的质子电导率比体相膜的质子电导率低一个数量级,使用介电常数较小的醇类溶剂可以使Nafion薄膜形成更有利于质子传导的微观结构,使Nafion薄膜的质子电导率得到提高。相关研究结果为优化PEMFC催化层结构,改善PEMFC催化层中质子传导问题提供给了依据。     

Preparation of high catalyst utilization electrodes for polymer electrolyte fuel cells

We have developed a novel preparation procedure for an electrocatalyst layer with high utilization of catalyst for polymer electrolyte fuel cells. A commercial Pt catalyst supported on high surface area carbon black (Pt/CB) and Nafion ionomer solution was heated in an autoclave at 200 degrees C, followed by quenching to form the ink of the mixture. It was found that the cathode prepared with the new catalyst ink exhibited very high performance, i.e., high catalyst utilization and improved gas diffusivity. The microstructure analysis indicated that the autoclave treatment promoted an effective introduction of Nafion ionomer into primary pores of Pt/CB agglomerates, in which ca. 90% of Pt catalysts were supported. It was clearly observed by scanning transmission electron microscopy that Nafion ionomer was distributed more uniformly inside Pt/CB agglomerates, compared with those simply mixed with a ball mill in a conventional manner.     

Electron tomography of Nafion ionomer coated on Pt/carbon black in high utilization electrode for PEFCs

To confirm the superiority of newly developed electrocatalyst layer (ECL) for polymer electrolyte fuel cells, three-dimensional dispersion states of Nafion ionomer in Pt/carbon black agglomerates were analyzed by electron tomography based on multiple TEM images taken at different tilt angles. Uniform distribution of the ionomer has been first observed, proving the high catalyst utilization in the new ECL distinctive from that of the conventional one.     

Preparation of Pt／C Catalyst with Solid Phase Reaction Method

The Pt/C catalyst was prepared with solid phase reaction method (Pt/C(S)) for the first time.Its Performances were compared with that prepared by the traditional liquid phase reaction method. The results demonstrate that the electrocatalytic activity of Pt/C catalyst with solid phase reaction method for methanol oxidation is higher than that with liquid phase reaction method. XRD and TEM measurements indicate that the Pt/C(S) possesses low crystalline extent and small particle size.     

用乙二胺四乙酸和Pt(NO3)2制备Pt/C催化剂及其形成机理

在用Pt(NO3)2作前驱体制备Pt/C催化剂时,乙二胺四乙酸(EDTA)的存在能有效地降低Pt粒子粒径并改善其分散度。发现加入EDTA不能与Pt2+配位形成络合物,而是通过静电作用将Pt2+包裹起来,使生成的Pt粒子不易团聚,得到的Pt/C催化剂中Pt粒子的平均粒径为3 nm,而且分布均匀,因此,得到的Pt/C催化剂对甲醇氧化有很好的电催化活性和稳定性。     

In situ surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopic studies of nafion adsorption on Au and Pt electrodes

Understanding interactions between Nafion (perfluorosulfonic acid) and Pt catalysts is important for the development and deployment of proton exchange membrane fuel cells. However, study of such interactions is challenging and Nafion/Pt interfacial structure remains elusive. In this study, adsorption of Nafion ionomer on Au and Pt surfaces was investigated for the first time by in situ surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy. The study is made possible by the use of uniform SiO(2)@Au core-shell particle arrays which provides very strong enhancement of Raman scattering. The high surface sensitivity offered by this approach yields insightful information on interfacial Nafion structure. Through spectral comparison of several model compounds, vibration assignments of SERS bands were made. The SER spectra suggest the direct interaction of sulfonate group with the metal surfaces, in accord with cyclic voltammetric results. Comparison of present SERS results with previous IR spectra was briefly made.     

负载型Pt/C催化剂的制备条件对Pt晶粒尺寸的影响

纳米级催化剂;浸渍还原法;晶粒结构;负载型Pt/C催化剂的制备条件对Pt晶粒尺寸的影响     

Pt/CNT纳米催化剂的微波快速合成及其对甲醇电化学氧化的电催化性能

碳纳米管 (CNT)作为制备新型催化剂载体已有广泛的研究 [1～ 8] ,例如 ,在其表面负载 Pt,Ru和Pt Ru后则具有良好的催化性能[1,2 ,6～ 8] .但在 CNT表面负载金属微粒的方法难以获得尺寸和形状均匀的纳米粒子 .因此 ,如何制备超细和均匀的纳米粒子是一项具有重要的学术意义和技术价值的工作 .我们利用微波加热的多元醇工艺合成了 XC-72碳负载铂纳米粒子的催化剂 ,并发现它对甲醇的氧化具有较高的电催化活性 [9] .本文进一步以 CNT作为载体 ,利用微波加热法快速合成了 Pt/ CNT纳米催化剂 ,并对其对甲醇电化学氧化的性能进行了初步研究 …     

浸渍溶剂对Pt/炭-氧化铝催化氢化2-氧-4-苯基丁酸乙酯的影响

螯合辅助溶剂挥发共组装法制备的炭-氧化铝复合材料为载体,分别使用水、乙醇或二者混合物为氯铂酸的分散介质,浸渍制备炭-氧化铝复合材料负载Pt催化剂.通过XRD,N2物理吸附以及TEM表征可知,乙醇作为浸渍溶剂时,最有利于Pt的分散,而混合溶剂浸渍制备的催化剂Pt颗粒最大.2-氧-4-苯基丁酸乙酯不对称加氢反应结果表明,氯铂酸水溶液浸渍得到的催化剂Pt纳米粒子的粒径有利于获得高的光学选择性,催化剂经辛可尼丁修饰后,以乙酸为反应溶剂,可获得最高84.8%的光学选择性.此外,该催化剂重复利用性能优异,可以重复利用22次,活性没有下降.     

High-surface-area catalyst design: Synthesis, characterization, and reaction studies of platinum nanoparticles in mesoporous SBA-15 silica

Platinum nanoparticles in the size range of 1.7-7.1 nm were produced by alcohol reduction methods. A polymer (poly(vinylpyrrolidone), PVP) was used to stabilize the particles by capping them in aqueous solution. The particles were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). TEM investigations demonstrate that the particles have a narrow size distribution. Mesoporous SBA-15 silica with 9-nm pores was synthesized by a hydrothermal process and used as a catalyst support. After incorporation into mesoporous SBA-15 silica using low-power sonication, the catalysts were calcined to remove the stabilizing polymer from the nanoparticle surface and reduced by H2. Pt particle sizes determined from selective gas adsorption measurements are larger than those determined by bulk techniques such as XRD and TEM. Room-temperature ethylene hydrogenation was chosen as a model reaction to probe the activity of the Pt/SBA-15 materials. The reaction was shown to be structure insensitive over a series of Pt/SBA-15 materials with particle sizes between 1.7 and 3.6 nm. The hydrogenolysis of ethane on Pt particles from 1.7 to 7.1 nm was weakly structure sensitive with smaller particles demonstrating higher specific activity. Turnover rates for ethane hydrogenolysis increased monotonically with increasing metal dispersion, suggesting that coordinatively unsaturated metal atoms present in small particles are more active for C2H6 hydrogenolysis than the low index planes that dominate in large particles. An explanation for the structure sensitivity is suggested, and the potential applications of these novel supported nanocatalysts for further studies of structure-activity and structure-selectivity relationships are discussed.     

PEMFC催化层中PTFE和Nafion对催化剂利用率的影响

本文利用循环伏安法,结合透射电镜和扫描电镜研究了质子膜燃料电池催化层中加入的聚四氟乙烯（ＰＴＦＥ）和全氟磺酸枝脂对催化剂利用率的影响。ＰＴＦＥ对催化剂利用率的影响很小。但在亲水型电极中,催化剂颗粒之间的电子导通会受到Ｎａｆｉｏｎ的阻碍,并导致催化剂利用率降低,由于Ｎａｆｉｏｎ分子很小,因此与Ｐｔ／Ｃ中Ｐｔ颗粒的接触没有大问题。     

Effects of calcium ions on solubility and aggregation behavior of an anionic sulfonate gemini surfactant in aqueous solutions

In this work, a ternary composite, Pt/TiO(2)/RGO (reduced graphite oxide), was prepared via immobilizing Pt particles onto the TiO(2)/RGO composite that was obtained via redox reaction of TiCl(3) and GO. The composite was characterized by different techniques including X-ray diffraction, transmission electron microscopy, and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. The TiO(2) particles with size less than 10 nm were uniformly distributed throughout the RGO, and almost each Pt particle with size around 3 nm adhered to TiO(2) particles, resulting in high dispersion of all Pt particles on the support. The Pt particles were in the electron-deficient state due to the strong interactions with the TiO(2) particles and the RGO support. The catalytic performance of the composite for nitrobenzene hydrogenation was investigated under solvent-free condition. It was indicated that the Pt/TiO(2)/RGO catalyst exhibited high activity with a turnover frequency (e.g., 59,000 h(-1)) as well as superior selectivity to aniline (e.g., >99%). Moreover, the catalyst can be reused for six times without any activity loss, which resulted from the stable structure of the catalyst.     

Application of Acoustic Spectroscopy to Investigation of Microinhomogeneous Media

Main mechanisms of absorption and dispersion of sound velocity in microinhomogeneous media are considered. Existing formulas for the velocity and absorption of sound in dispersion media is generalized to the case of continuos dispersed phase particle size distribution. The obtained relations were used for the analysis of the acoustic spectra of dodecane-based magnetic fluid measured in the 12–2000 MHz frequency range at temperatures varied from 0 to 80°C. The distribution of the volume fraction over particle sites in the examined magnetic fluid was described by a lognormal function. Parameters characterizing particle size distribution were determined. The analysis of the results of processing of the acoustic spectra of magnetic fluid indicated that the main contribution to the additional absorption (compared to absorption in the dispersion medium) originates from the friction and heat exchange between the particles and dispersion liquid. Absorption of sound due to scattering by the particles was negligibly small.     

AFM imaging of adsorbed Nafion polymer on mica and graphite at molecular level

Perfluorosulfonic acid ionomer (PFSA, specifically Nafion at EW = 975 g/mol) was visualized at the single molecule level using atomic force microscopy (AFM) in liquid. The diluted commercial Nafion dispersion shows an apparent M(w) = 1430 kg/mol and M(w)/M(n) = 3.81, which is assigned to chain aggregation. PFSA aggregates, imaged on mica and HOPG during adsorption from EtOH-H(2)O solvent at pH(e) 3.0 (below isoelectric point), showed a stable, segmented rod-like conformation. This structure is consistent with earlier NMR, SAXS/SANS, and TEM results that support a stiff helical Nafion conformation with long persistence length, a sharp solvent-polymer interface, and an extension of the sulfonated side chain into solution. Adsorption of Nafion structures on HOPG was observed at even higher pH(e) from EtOH due to screening of the repulsive electrostatic interaction in lower dielectric constant solvent, while the chain adopted an expanded coil conformation. These measurements provided direct evidence of the chain aggregation in EtOH-H(2)O solution and revealed their equilibrium conformations for adsorption on two model surfaces, highly ordered pyrolitic graphite (HOPG) and mica. The commercial Nafion dispersion was autoclaved at 0.10% w/w in nPrOH/H(2)O = 4:1 v/v solvent at 230 °C for 6 h to give a single-chain dispersion with M(w) = 310 kg/mol and M(w)/M(n) = 1.60. The autoclaved chains adopt an electrostatically stabilized compact globule conformation as observed by AFM imaging of the single PFSA molecules after rapid deposition on mica and HOPG at a low surface coverage.     

氢水液相交换反应用高分散度Pt/C/FN疏水催化剂制备及Pt粒径效应研究

以乙二醇代替常规的异丙醇为分散溶剂, H₂PtCl₆为前驱体溶剂, 甲醛为还原剂, 采用改进浸渍还原法制备Pt/C催化剂, 用XRD, TEM和XPS对其进行表征. 改进浸渍还原法容易制备高分散度Pt/C催化剂, 催化剂Pt粒径大小可通过改变溶液pH值控制, pH值从1.6增加至11.3, 铂纳米粒子的平均粒径由3.3 nm减小到1.8 nm. pH值11.3时催化剂中Pt(0), Pt(II)和Pt(IV)的含量分别为43.3%, 30.8%和25.9%. 选择不同Pt粒径大小的Pt/C催化剂与聚四氟乙烯(PTFE)一起负载于泡沫镍(FN), 得到Pt/C/FN疏水催化剂, 考查其对氢水液相交换反应的催化活性, Pt粒径越小, 催化剂活性越高.     

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)×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).     

Pt/C催化剂对乙醇电氧化的粒径效应

利用有机溶胶方法, 通过控制溶剂挥发温度制备了具有不同粒径大小的Pt/C催化剂. 制得的Pt/C催化剂中, Pt粒子具有非常优异的均一性和良好的分散度. 电化学研究表明, 对于乙醇的电催化氧化, Pt/C催化剂存在着明显的粒径效应. 当Pt粒子粒径为3.2 nm时, Pt/C催化剂对乙醇的电催化氧化的质量比活性最佳. X射线光电子能谱(XPS)的研究显示, Pt/C催化剂对乙醇氧化的粒径效应与其零价Pt含量以及Pt粒子的比表面积密切相关.     

In situ synthesis of Pt/carbon nanofiber nanocomposites with enhanced electrocatalytic activity toward methanol oxidation

Pt/carbon nanofiber (Pt/CNF) nanocomposites were facilely synthesized by the reduction of hexachloroplatinic acid (H(2)PtCl(6)) using formic acid (HCOOH) in aqueous solution containing electrospun carbon nanofibers at room temperature. The obtained Pt/CNF nanocomposites were characterized by TEM and EDX. The Pt nanoparticles could in situ grow on the surface of CNFs with small particle size, high loading density, and uniform dispersion by adjusting the concentration of H(2)PtCl(6) precursor. The electrocatalytic activities of the Pt/CNF nanocomposites were also studied. These Pt/CNF nanocomposites exhibited higher electrocatalytic activity toward methanol oxidation reaction compared with commercial E-TEK Pt/C catalyst. The results presented may offer a new approach to facilely synthesize direct methanol fuel cells (DMFCs) catalyst with enhanced electrocatalytic activity and low cost.     

基于新球型微观结构模型模拟PEMFC催化层

建立了一个新球型催化层微观结构模型, 并基于此模型对质子交换膜燃料电池(PEMFC)性能进行了模拟. 该模型中假设催化层由Pt/C 颗粒和离子聚合物-孔混合相组成. 假设Pt/C 颗粒为球形结构, 其直径符合正态分布, 用不同直径的球来表示随机分散在电极中的Pt/C 颗粒. 计算了催化层内的传递和电化学反应, 研究了质子和氧气及电化学反应速率在电极厚度方向上的分布, 并且通过对比氧气浓度、过电位和电化学反应速率的分布、极化曲线及催化剂利用率等证明了适当的电极厚度与Pt/C颗粒粒径有利于提高电池性能.