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New Approach to Synthesizing Cathode PtCo/C Catalysts for Low-Temperature Fuel Cells
Sergey Belenov1,2, Dmitriy Mauer1,2, Elizabeth Moguchikh1,2
1Faculty of Chemistry, Southern Federal University, 7 Zorge St., Rostov-on-Don 344090, Russia.
Nanomaterials (Basel, Switzerland)
|May 24, 2024
Summary
A novel multi-step synthesis method for PtCo/C catalysts yields highly dispersed nanoparticles. This approach enhances electrocatalytic activity and power density in proton-exchange membrane fuel cells (PEMFCs).
Area of Science:
- Materials Science
- Electrochemistry
- Nanotechnology
Background:
- Developing efficient electrocatalysts is crucial for advancing proton-exchange membrane fuel cells (PEMFCs).
- Existing synthesis methods for platinum-cobalt (PtCo) on carbon (C) catalysts have limitations.
- Composite cobalt oxide/carbon (CoxOy/C) materials offer potential as precursors for advanced catalysts.
Purpose of the Study:
- To develop and characterize a new multi-step synthesis method for PtCo/C electrocatalysts.
- To investigate the structural and compositional evolution of the catalyst during synthesis.
- To evaluate the performance of the synthesized PtCo/C catalyst in PEMFCs.
Main Methods:
- Multi-step liquid-phase synthesis combining advantages of different techniques.
- Material characterization using thermogravimetric analysis (TG), X-ray diffraction (XRD), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), scanning electron imaging (SEI), total reflection X-ray fluorescence (TXRF).
- Electrochemical evaluation via cyclic voltammetry (CV) and linear sweep voltammetry (LSV) in membrane electrode assemblies (MEAs).
Main Results:
- The multi-step synthesis resulted in uniform bimetallic PtCo nanoparticles (approx. 3 nm) on the carbon support.
- The synthesized PtCo/C catalyst exhibited high electrochemical surface area (ESA) and oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) activity.
- MEAs utilizing the developed PtCo/C catalyst demonstrated superior current-voltage characteristics and higher maximum specific power compared to commercial Pt/C catalysts.
Conclusions:
- The developed multi-step synthesis approach is highly effective for producing advanced PtCo/C electrocatalysts.
- The enhanced catalyst performance shows significant promise for improving PEMFC efficiency.
- This method offers a viable pathway for synthesizing next-generation PtM/C (M=transition metal) catalysts for fuel cell applications.
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