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Updated: Apr 15, 2026

On the Preparation and Testing of Fuel Cell Catalysts Using the Thin Film Rotating Disk Electrode Method
Published on: March 16, 2018
Mechanism of protection of catalysts supported in redox hydrogel films
Vincent Fourmond1, Stefanie Stapf, Huaiguang Li
1†Laboratoire de Bioénergétique et Ingénierie des Protéines, Aix Marseille Université, CNRS, BIP UMR 7281, 13402 Marseille, France.
Abstract:
The use of synthetic inorganic complexes as supported catalysts is a key route in energy production and in industrial synthesis. However, their intrinsic oxygen sensitivity is sometimes an issue. Some of us have recently demonstrated that hydrogenases, the fragile but very efficient biological catalysts of H2 oxidation, can be protected from O2 damage upon integration into a film of a specifically designed redox polymer. Catalytic oxidation of H2 produces electrons which reduce oxygen near the film/solution interface, thus providing a self-activated protection from oxygen [Plumeré et al., Nat Chem. 2014, 6, 822-827]. Here, we rationalize this protection mechanism by examining the time-dependent distribution of species in the hydrogenase/polymer film, using measured or estimated values of all relevant parameters and the numerical and analytical solutions of a realistic reaction-diffusion scheme. Our investigation sets the stage for optimizing the design of hydrogenase-polymer films, and for expanding this strategy to other fragile catalysts.
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