Graphitized Carbon: A Promising Stable Cathode Catalyst Support Material for Long Term PEMFC Applications.
Paritosh Kumar Mohanta1, Fabian Regnet2, Ludwig Jörissen3
1Zentrum für Sonnenenergie-und Wasserstoff-Forschung Baden-Württemberg, Helmholtzstrsse 8, 89081 Ulm, Germany. paritosh.mohanta@zsw-bw.de.
Materials (Basel, Switzerland)
|May 31, 2018
Summary
Graphitized carbon (GC) offers superior stability over traditional carbon black (CB) for polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cells (PEMFC). This durable catalyst support demonstrates comparable performance, making it promising for long-term fuel cell applications.
Area of Science:
- Materials Science
- Electrochemistry
- Chemical Engineering
Background:
- Polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cells (PEMFCs) face challenges with cathode catalyst support material stability.
- Traditional carbon black (CB) supports degrade via oxidation to CO₂ under operating conditions, limiting long-term application.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the feasibility of graphitized carbon (GC) as a stable cathode catalyst support for low-temperature PEMFCs.
- To compare the stability and performance of GC-supported catalysts against traditional CB supports.
Main Methods:
- Platinum (Pt) electrocatalysts supported on GC and CB were synthesized using a polyol process.
- Characterization involved TEM, XRD, ICP-OES, CV, RDE, potential cycling, MEA single cell tests, EIS, and SEM.
- Correlation between MEA performance, BET surface area, and ionomer content was established.
Main Results:
- GC demonstrated significantly higher stability than CB in acidic electrolytes under potential cycling.
- The single cell performance of GC-supported catalysts was comparable to that of CB-supported catalysts.
- A clear correlation was found between catalyst support surface area, ionomer content, and MEA performance.
Conclusions:
- Graphitized carbon (GC) is a promising alternative cathode catalyst support material for PEMFCs.
- GC offers enhanced stability without compromising electrochemical performance.
- GC is suitable for long-term PEMFC applications due to its improved durability.
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