Non-noble metal catalysts NNMCs

PEMFCs, indeed in those using hydrogen as fuel, is still higher than the required one for large-scale applications, mainly in the transportation sector. Therefore, one of the most important short-term objectives for the catalytic technology is the reduction of the noble metals loadings of the electrodes, and also its substitution for non-noble metal catalysts (NNMCs). ... 

A number of studies dealing with non-noble metal catalysts (NNMCs) have appeared in recent years. " The main advantage of this type of catalyst is their low cost compared to Pt-based systems. In the next sections, relevant features to the ORR and the current status of catalyst development will be discussed. 

In spite of the success in the optimization of platinum catalysts, a major breakthrough in the field of fuel cells is yet to be achieved. Especially, the desire for a significant cost reduction by the replacement of platinum motivates international research activities investigating new catalyst concepts for cathodes. Thereby, the cathodes have to be sufficiently stable under fuel cell conditions the alternative non-noble metal catalysts (NNMC) need to have a high selectivity for direct reduction of oxygen to water. The US department of energy (DOE) defined 25% of the achievable current density of a commercial platinum catalyst as target value for 2015. For fuel cell application, the catalysts should be producible in such a nano-structured form that suitable gas diffusion structures can be built. 

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