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Published on: December 6, 2021
Mo-Mediated Sub-Nanometer Amorphous Shell Engineering on PtMo Alloy for Enhanced CO Tolerance in Hydrogen Oxidation
Zhixu Chen1, Zhuofan Gan1, Peixi Qiu1
1National Innovation Platform (Center) For Industry-Education Integration of Energy Storage Technology & School of Chemical Engineering and Technology, Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an, P. R. China.
Developing CO-tolerant electrocatalysts is crucial for sustainable energy. New MoOx-PtMo/C nanoalloys significantly enhance proton exchange membrane fuel cell performance by weakening carbon monoxide adsorption.
Area of Science:
- Materials Science
- Electrochemistry
- Sustainable Energy
Background:
- Global demand for clean energy drives fuel cell advancements.
- Carbon monoxide (CO) impurities in hydrogen fuel deactivate fuel cell anodes.
- Developing CO-tolerant electrocatalysts is essential for fuel cell performance.
Purpose of the Study:
- Synthesize and evaluate novel CO-tolerant electrocatalysts for proton exchange membrane fuel cells (PEMFCs).
- Investigate the mechanism of CO tolerance in modified platinum-based nanoalloys.
Main Methods:
- Synthesis of PtMo/C nanoalloy particles and MoOx-modified MoOx-PtMo/C.
- Electrochemical characterization of hydrogen oxidation reaction (HOR) activity and CO tolerance.
- In situ CO adsorption surface-enhanced infrared absorption spectroscopy (SEIRAS) and density functional theory (DFT) calculations.
Main Results:
- PtMo/C nanoalloys showed enhanced HOR performance.
- MoOx-PtMo/C exhibited superior CO tolerance due to synergistic electronic modulation.
- Optimized MoOx-PtMo-5 h/C demonstrated significantly higher mass and specific activities compared to commercial Pt/C.
- Exceptional CO resistance was observed in both three-electrode and PEMFC tests.
Conclusions:
- The synergistic effect of MoOx and Mo atoms in PtMo/C nanoalloys effectively weakens CO adsorption, enhancing CO tolerance.
- MoOx-PtMo/C represents a promising electrocatalyst for practical PEMFC applications.
- This study provides insights into designing advanced electrocatalysts for clean energy technologies.
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