A passive microfluidic hydrogen-air fuel cell with exceptional stability and high performance

We describe an advanced microfluidic hydrogen-air fuel cell (FC) that exhibits exceptional durability and high performance, most notably yielding stable output power (>100 days) without the use of an anode-cathode separator membrane. This FC embraces an entirely passive device architecture and, unlike conventional microfluidic designs that exploit laminar hydrodynamics, no external pumps are used to sustain or localize the reagent flow fields. The devices incorporate high surface area/porous metal and metal alloy electrodes that are embedded and fully immersed in liquid electrolyte confined in the channels of a poly(dimethylsiloxane) (PDMS)-based microfluidic network. The polymeric network also serves as a self-supporting membrane through which oxygen and hydrogen are supplied to the cathode and alloy anode, respectively, by permeation. The operational stability of the device and its performance is strongly dependent on the nature of the electrolyte used (5 M H2SO4 or 2.5 M NaOH) and composition of the anode material. The latter choice is optimized to decrease the sensitivity of the system to oxygen cross-over while still maintaining high activity towards the hydrogen oxidation reaction (HOR). Three types of high surface area anodes were tested in this work. These include: high-surface area electrodeposited Pt (Pt); high-surface area electrodeposited Pd (Pd); and thin palladium adlayers supported on a "porous" Pt electrode (Pd/Pt). The FCs display their best performance in 5 M H2SO4 using the Pd/Pt anode. This exceptional stability and performance was ascribed to several factors, namely: the high permeabilities of O2, H2, and CO2 in PDMS; the inhibition of the formation of insoluble carbonate species due to the presence of a highly acidic electrolyte; and the selectivity of the Pd/Pt anode toward the HOR. The stability of the device for long-term operation was modeled using a stack of three FCs as a power supply for a portable display that otherwise uses a 3 V battery.     

Development of sulfonated poly (ether ether ketone) electrolyte membrane for applications in hydrogen sensor

The future economy is projected as hydrogen economy and fuel cells are set to become the energy source either replacing or augmenting the present oil based technology. A sulfonated poly ether ether ketone (SPEEK) membrane as the electrolyte for hydrogen sensor that operates at room temperature was developed in our lab. The electrolyte used was SPEEK, which is a proton conducting solid polymer membrane. The membranes were characterized using various available techniques like TGA, XRD, SEM, etc. The durability was studied using the Fenton’s reagent. The proton conducting ability was analyzed using impedance spectroscopy. The catalysts considered were platinum for the cathode and three different catalysts (Pt, Pt/Pd and Pd) for the anode. The MEAs were evaluated for their performance in hydrogen sensor and the one with platinum catalyst at the anode gave the best response among the three indicating its suitability for the SPEEK membrane for hydrogen sensor.     

The Comparability of Pt to Pt‐Ru in Catalyzing the Hydrogen Oxidation Reaction for Alkaline Polymer Electrolyte Fuel Cells Operated at 80 °C

The Pt‐catalyzed hydrogen oxidation reaction (HOR) for alkaline polymer electrolyte fuel cells (APEFCs) has been one of the focus subjects in current fuel‐cell research. The Pt catalyst is inferior for HOR in alkaline solutions, and alloying with Ru is an effective promotion strategy. APEFCs with Pt‐Ru anodes have provided a performance benchmark over 1 W cm^?2 at 60 °C. The Pt anode is now found to be in fact as good as the Pt‐Ru anode for APEFCs operated at elevated conditions. At 80 °C with appropriate gas back‐pressure, the cell with a Pt anode exhibits a peak power density of about 1.9 W cm^?2, which is very close to that with a Pt‐Ru anode. Even by decreasing the anode Pt loading to 0.1 mg cm^?2, over 1.5 W cm^?2 can still be achieved at 80 °C. This finding alters the previous understanding about the Pt catalyzed HOR in alkaline media and casts a new light on the development of practical and high‐power APFEC technology.     

Enhanced Electrocatalytic Hydrogen Oxidation on Ni/NiO/C Derived from a Nickel‐Based Metal–Organic Framework

The sluggish hydrogen oxidation reaction (HOR) under alkaline conditions has hindered the commercialization of hydroxide‐exchange membrane hydrogen fuel cells. A low‐cost Ni/NiO/C catalyst with abundant Ni/NiO interfacial sites was developed as a competent HOR electrocatalyst in alkaline media. Ni/NiO/C exhibits an HOR activity one order of magnitude higher than that of its parent Ni/C counterpart. Moreover, Ni/NiO/C also shows better stability and CO tolerance than commercial Pt/C in alkaline media, which renders it a very promising HOR electrocatalyst for hydrogen fuel cell applications. Density functional theory (DFT) calculations were also performed to shed light on the enhanced HOR performance of Ni/NiO/C; the DFT results indicate that both hydrogen and hydroxide achieve optimal binding energies at the Ni/NiO interface, resulting from the balanced electronic and oxophilic effects at the Ni/NiO interface.     

一种新型的甲酸/铁离子燃料电池

以甲酸为燃料、 Fe³⁺为氧化剂组成了一种新型的甲酸/铁离子燃料电池, 阳极催化剂为多壁碳纳米管(MWCNT)或β-环糊精修饰的MWCNT(β-CD-MWCNT)负载的金属钯或钯锡纳米颗粒: PdSn/MWCNT, Pd/β-CD-MWCNT和PdSn/β-CD-MWCNT. 运用循环伏安(CV)和计时电流(CA)等技术研究了各催化剂在碱性条件下对甲酸氧化反应的电催化活性. 结果表明, 加入适量的金属锡能促进钯对甲酸的电催化氧化, 甲酸氧化电位提前, 电流密度增加; 环糊精的改性对催化剂电催化活性有一定提升. 将上述催化剂制成电池阳极片, 碳粉制成电极阴极片, 组成甲酸/铁离子燃料电池并测试其放电性能. 结果表明, 电池的开路电压在0.981.20 V之间; 以PdSn/β-CD-MWCNT为阳极时, 其最大放电电流密度达50 mA/cm², 最大功率密度达12.6 mW/cm², 远优于以Pd/C为阳极的电池性能.     

Improved hydrogen oxidation reaction under alkaline conditions by Au–Pt alloy nanoparticles

This work demonstrates the outstanding performance of alloyed Au_1 Pt_1 nanoparticles on hydrogen oxidation reaction(HOR) in alkaline solution. Due to the weakened hydrogen binding energy caused by uniform incorporation of Au, the alloyed Au_1 Pt_1/C nanoparticles exhibit superior HOR activity than commercial Pt Ru/C. On the contrary, the catalytic performance of the phase-segregated Au_2 Pt_1/C and Au_1 Pt_1/C bimetallic nanoparticles in HOR is significantly worse. Moreover, Au_1 Pt_1/C shows a remarkable durability with activity dropping only 4% after 3000 CV cycles, while performance attenuation of commercial Pt Ru/C is high up to 15% under the same condition. Our results indicate that the alloyed Au_1 Pt_1/C is a promising candidate to substitute commercial Pt Ru/C for hydrogen oxidation reaction in alkaline electrolyte.     

A Pd/C‐CeO2 Anode Catalyst for High‐Performance Platinum‐Free Anion Exchange Membrane Fuel Cells

One of the biggest obstacles to the dissemination of fuel cells is their cost, a large part of which is due to platinum (Pt) electrocatalysts. Complete removal of Pt is a difficult if not impossible task for proton exchange membrane fuel cells (PEM‐FCs). The anion exchange membrane fuel cell (AEM‐FC) has long been proposed as a solution as non‐Pt metals may be employed. Despite this, few examples of Pt‐free AEM‐FCs have been demonstrated with modest power output. The main obstacle preventing the realization of a high power density Pt‐free AEM‐FC is sluggish hydrogen oxidation (HOR) kinetics of the anode catalyst. Here we describe a Pt‐free AEM‐FC that employs a mixed carbon‐CeO₂ supported palladium (Pd) anode catalyst that exhibits enhanced kinetics for the HOR. AEM‐FC tests run on dry H₂ and pure air show peak power densities of more than 500 mW cm^?2.     

Insight into the hydrogen oxidation electrocatalytic performance enhancement on Ni via oxophilic regulation of MoO_2

Exploring platinum-group-metal(PGM)free electrocatalysts for hydrogen oxidation reaction(HOR)in alkaline media is essential to the progress of anion exchange membrane fuel cells(AEMFCs).In this work,a Ni/MoO₂ heterostructure catalyst with comparable HOR activity in alkaline electrolyte with PGM catalyst was prepared by a simple hydrothermal-reduction method.Remarkably,the Ni/MoO₂ presents a mass kinetic current density of 38.5 mA mgNi^-1 at the overpotential of 50 mV,which is higher than that of the best PGM free HOR catalyst reported by far.Moreover,the HOR performance of Ni/MoO₂ under 100 ppm CO shows negligible fading,together with the superior durability,render it significant potential for application in AEMFCs.A particular mechanistic study indicates that the excellent HOR performance is ascribed to the accelerated Volmer step by the incorporation of MoO₂.The function of MoO₂ was further confirmed by CO striping experiment on Pt/C-MoO₂ that MoO₂ can facilitated OH adsorption thus accelerate the HOR process.On account of the high performance and low cost,the Ni/MoO₂ electrocatalyst encourages the establishment of high performance PGM free catalyst and shows significant potential for application in AEMFCs.     

A Nanoporous PdCo Alloy as a Highly Active Electrocatalyst for the Oxygen‐Reduction Reaction and Formic Acid Electrooxidation

A nanoporous (NP) PdCo alloy with uniform structure size and controllable bimetallic ratio was fabricated simply by one‐step mild dealloying of a PdCoAl precursor alloy. The as‐made alloy consists of a nanoscaled bicontinuous network skeleton with interconnected hollow channels that extend in all three dimensions. With a narrow ligament size distribution around 5 nm, the NP PdCo alloy exhibits much higher electrocatalytic activity towards the oxygen‐reduction reaction (ORR) with enhanced specific and mass activities relative to NP Pd and commercial Pt/C catalysts. A long‐term stability test demonstrated that NP PdCo has comparable catalytic durability with less loss of ORR activity and electrochemical surface area than Pt/C. The NP PdCo alloy also shows dramatically enhanced catalytic activity towards formic acid electrooxidation relative to NP Pd and Pd/C catalysts. The as‐made NP PdCo holds great application potential as a promising cathode as well as an anode electrocatalyst in fuel cells with the advantages of superior catalytic performance and easy preparation.     

V2CO2 MXene负载过渡金属单原子催化剂氧还原和氢氧化活性的DFT研究

开发廉价且高性能的电催化剂对推动燃料电池的商业应用具有重要意义.二维(2D) MXenes和单原子(SAs)催化剂是催化研究中的两个前沿领域.2D MXenes材料具有独特的几何和电子结构,能够有效调节负载SAs的催化性能.而负载的SAs又会反过来影响2D MXenes材料的本征活性,使2D MXenes形成更加丰富的活性位,进而提升其催化性能.为了拓展2D负载SAs催化剂在燃料电池中的应用,本文采用密度泛函理论(DFT)计算,系统地研究了V2CO2 MXenes负载过渡金属(TM,包括一系列3d、部分4d和5d金属)SAs催化剂的稳定结构、电子结构及其催化氧还原(ORR)和氢氧化(HOR)的催化活性,并筛选出潜在的可替代贵金属铂的ORR/HOR的双功能催化剂.稳定结构计算结果表明,3d TM SAs倾向于以锚定的形式负载于V2CO2表面与O原子作用,而4d,5d TM原子倾向于以掺杂的形式负载于含氧空穴的V2CO2表面与V原子作用;同时,Sc,Ti,V,Rh,Pd,Pt,Ag和Au SAs在V2CO2表面因具有较高扩散能垒,不易团聚,具有较高的热力学稳定性.电子结构计算结果表明,锚定型的TM SAs与O形成共价键,伴随发生明显的电荷转移,带较多正电荷;掺杂型的TM SAs与V形成金属键,因TM-V和V-O键间电荷转移的协同影响,导致TM SAs仅带有少量的电荷.TM-V2CO2电子结构与ORR/HOR中间物种的吸附关系为,TM位点为ORR中间物种(O,OH和OOH)的吸附位点,且d电子数为1、5、10的TM比其他TM对ORR物种的吸附更弱;而TM-V2CO2表面的O原子为HOR中间物种(H)的有效吸附位点,且H的吸附强弱与O位点的电荷有关,即O位点负电荷越多,对H的吸附越弱.TM-V2CO2催化剂各活性位对ORR和HOR反应物种的选择性吸附结果表明,催化剂有利于形成丰富多样的活性位,并具备作为双功能催化剂的内在优势.TM-V2CO2催化剂ORR和HOR理论活性筛选发现:与Pt(111)相比,Sc-、Mn-、Rh-和Pt-V2CO2具有较高的ORR活性,而Sc-、Ti-、V-、Cr-和Mn-V2CO2表现出较高的HOR活性.其中,Sc-V2CO2和Mn-V2CO2因同时具有较高的ORR和HOR活性和稳定性,有望成为高效和低成本的燃料电池双功能催化剂.本文从研究TM-V2CO2性质和活性出发,深入研究了SAs与2D MXenes间相互作用及其对ORR与HOR催化活性的影响机制,筛选出了高效、低成本的ORR/HOR双功能催化剂,为合理设计燃料电池双功能催化剂提供了理论指导.     

全Pd催化剂质子交换膜燃料电池

用改良的浸渍法合成了多种不同合金度的碳载PdCu纳米粒子, 考察其对氧还原和氢氧化反应的催化行为, 并择优应用到质子交换膜燃料电池(PEMFC)中. 研究发现, 阳极采用Pd₈₀Cu₂₀/C催化剂, 阴极采用Pd₉₀Cu₁₀/C催化剂组装的单电池在65℃下最大功率密度接近204 mW/cm².     

Mechanistic study of the deactivation of carbon supported Pd during formic acid oxidation

Palladium is an attractive anode catalyst for direct formic acid fuel cells (DFAFC) because of its high activity relative to Pt, but it suffers significant activity losses during operation of the DFAFC. The deactivation mechanism of a Pd/C catalyst during oxidation of formic acid has been studied by means of electrochemical stripping voltammetry. The stripping characteristics of the anode poison are virtually the same as those of adsorbed CO, and adsorbed CO has a similar poisoning effect. It is therefore proposed that a gradual build-up of adsorbed CO causes the deactivation of Pd in DFAFCs.     

An improved polymer electrolyte-based amperometric hydrogen sensor

An improved polymer electrolyte membrane (PEM) fuel cell-based amperometric hydrogen sensor that operates at room temperature has been developed. The electrolyte used in the sensor is a PVA/H₃PO₄ blend, which is a proton-conducting solid polymer electrolyte. A thin film of palladium is used as the anode and platinum supported on carbon as the cathode. The sensor functions as a fuel cell, H₂/Pd//PVA-H₃PO₄//Pt/O₂, and the short-circuit current is found to be linearly related to the hydrogen concentration. The basic principle, details of assembly, response behaviour of the sensor and its application are discussed.     

负载于刻蚀镍泡沫上钯纳米粒子作为乙醇氧化高性能电催化剂

发展具有高催化活性和高稳定性的非Pt阳极催化剂目前仍面临着巨大的挑战. 除了设计催化剂以外,设计合适的载体对提高电催化剂性能也具有重要意义. 在这篇论文中,作者报导了一种以混合酸(HNO₃+H₂SO₄+H₃PO₄+CH₃COOH) 腐蚀的镍泡沫负载Pd纳米粒子作为高性能电催化剂用于碱性条件下乙醇氧化. 因具有开放孔结构、快速电解质渗透能力及快速的电荷传输性能,这些镍泡沫负载的Pd纳米粒子显示了很好的电催化活性和循环稳定性,显示了该材料在乙醇阳极氧化具有较好的应用前景.     

Remarkably Enhanced Hydrogen Oxidation Reaction Activity of Carbon-supported Pt by Facile Nickel Modification

Developing high activity catalysts for hydrogen oxidation reaction(HOR)under alkaline condition remains a challenge in the exchange membrane fuel cell(AEMFC).Herein,we report that the activity of carbon-supported platinum(Pt/C)towards the hydrogen oxidation reaction(HOR)in alkaline media can be remarkably enhanced by simple immersion of Pt/C in nickel chloride solution.The adsorption of hydrogen on the catalyst surface is weakened by modification of nickel.The HOR activity on the Pt/C after immersion possesses an excellent mass current density of 33.4 A/gmetal,which is 18%higher than that(28.3 A/gmetal)on Pt/C.     

Bismuth modified Pd/C as catalysts for hydrogen related reactions

The electrocatalytic activity of bimetallic BiPd catalysts supported on Sibunit carbon towards hydrogen oxidation/evolution reactions (HOR/HER) was studied in a gas diffusion electrode (GDE) setup. Catalysts were synthesized by deposition of Pd on the carbon support, followed by impregnation of Pd/C precursor with Bi(NO₃)₃ solution and reduction in hydrogen. Transmission electron microscopy and local EDX elemental analysis revealed that BiPd/C catalysts contain bimetallic particles with narrow size distribution with maxima at 3.2–4.1 nm. X-ray diffraction evidenced that bimetallic particles are constituted by Pd–Bi solid solution. It was shown that modification of Pd/C by bismuth increases the specific activity of palladium towards HOR/HER by a factor of 3.     

单原子分散的Ir-N-C燃料电池阳极抗中毒催化剂

燃料电池的阳极抗中毒研究是重要课题,探索具有超高质量活性和抗CO毒化的阳极催化剂具有显著的科学意义和应用价值。本文成功制备了Ir原子级别分散在N掺杂碳的载体上的新催化剂,并且发现该Ir-N-C对甲酸具有良好的电催化氧化性能,其质量比活性为商业Pd/C的48倍。组装了燃料电池单电池进行测试,结果显示,Ir-N-C催化剂在单电池中的质量比功率密度高达281 mW/mg,较商业Pd/C催化剂提升了3倍。同时,Ir-N-C对CO毒化的耐受性大大增强,经过14000 s的长期测试后,其活性仅衰减68%,优于商业Pd/C催化剂（衰减85%）。并且,该催化剂能够简单有效的大批量制备,为单原子催化剂的大批量制备提供了新思路。     

New strategy for reversal tolerant anode for automotive polymer electrolyte fuel cell

New approach for the reversal tolerant anode for polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cell is suggested by using the multifunctional IrRu alloy catalyst having concurrent superior activities towards hydrogen oxidation reaction and oxygen evolution reaction to mitigate the degradation of anode under the fuel starvation condition.     

Migration and Precipitation of Platinum in Anion-Exchange Membrane Fuel Cells

Despite the recent progress in increasing the power generation of Anion-exchange membrane fuel cells (AEMFCs), their durability is still far lower than that of Proton exchange membrane fuel cells (PEMFCs). Using the complementary techniques of X-ray micro-computed tomography (CT), Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) and Energy Dispersive X-ray (EDX) spectroscopy, we have identified Pt ion migration as an important factor to explain the decay in performance of AEMFCs. In alkaline media Pt⁺² ions are easily formed which then either undergo dissolution into the carbon support or migrate to the membrane. In contrast to PEMFCs, where hydrogen cross over reduces the ions forming a vertical “Pt line” within the membrane, the ions in the AEM are trapped by charged groups within the membrane, leading to disintegration of the membrane and failure. Diffusion of the metal components is still observed when the Pt/C of the cathode is substituted with a FeCo−N−C catalyst, but in this case the Fe and Co ions are not trapped within the membrane, but rather migrate into the anode, thereby increasing the stability of the membrane.     

碱性介质中氢氧化反应电催化剂的开发:从机理认识到材料设计

阴离子交换膜(AEM)燃料电池因具有使用非贵金属作为催化剂的优点而受到广泛关注.然而,在碱性体系中,AEM燃料电池中氢氧化反应(HOR)的反应动力学比在酸性介质中的慢两个数量级.针对HOR在碱中动力学缓慢的问题,有两种主要的理论来解释,(1)pH相关的氢结合能作为主要影响因素来控制HOR动力学的理论;(2)质子和氢氧根离子的吸附共同作为影响因子来控制HOR在碱性条件下的动力学的双功能理论.本文首先讨论了在碱性电解质中可能的HOR反应机理及其Tafel性能变化.除了传统的Tafel-Volmer和Heyrovsky-Volmer-HOR机理外,还讨论了最新提出的氢氧根离子吸附参与的HOR机理来说明在酸性和碱性介质中HOR机理的差异.然后,总结了具有代表性的碱性HOR催化剂(如贵金属、合金、金属间化合物、镍基合金、碳化物、氮化物等),简要介绍了它们相应的HOR反应机理,从而进一步理解在碱性介质中不同基元反应步骤给HOR性能带来的差异.最后,提出了一种未来设计HOR碱性催化剂的可行性方案,为今后碱性环境下的HOR催化剂设计提供参考.