Core/Shell-Structured Carbon Support Boosting Fuel Cell Durability

Area of Science:

• Materials Science
• Electrochemistry
• Catalysis

Background:

• Proton exchange membrane fuel cells (PEMFCs) require durable cathode catalysts to extend operational lifetime.
• Current catalysts face degradation from carbon corrosion and platinum nanoparticle coarsening.
• Existing durability strategies often address only one degradation pathway.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop a novel core/shell structured carbon support for cathode catalysts.
• To simultaneously inhibit both carbon corrosion and electrocatalyst coarsening.
• To enhance the overall durability of PEMFC cathode catalysts.

Main Methods:

• Fabrication of a core/shell structured carbon support with distinct core and shell functionalities.
• The core utilizes highly graphitized carbon for structural integrity.
• The shell employs heteroatom-doped amorphous carbon for anchoring platinum nanoparticles.

Main Results:

• The designed catalyst demonstrated simultaneous inhibition of carbon corrosion and platinum nanoparticle coarsening.
• Achieved significantly low electrochemical surface area loss (13%/3%) and mass activity loss (27%/17%) after accelerated stress tests.
• Exhibited minimal voltage loss (29 mV/4 mV) under high current densities, surpassing U.S. Department of Energy targets.

Conclusions:

• The bifunctional core/shell carbon support effectively enhances catalyst durability in PEMFCs.
• This approach offers a promising strategy for overcoming key degradation mechanisms in fuel cell catalysts.
• The developed catalyst meets and exceeds critical durability benchmarks for next-generation fuel cell technologies.