Proton exchange membrane fuel cell electrocatalysts

Cooper SJ, Gunner AG, Hoogers G, Thompsett D. Reformate tolerance in proton exchange membrane fuel cells electrocatalyst solutions. In Savadogo O, Roberge PR, editors. Proceedings of the second international symposium on new materials for fuel cell and modem battery systems 1997 July 6-10 Montreal Ecole Polytechnique de Montreal, 1997 286-96. 

Significant (and even spectacular) results were contributed by the group of Norskov to the field of electrocatalysis [102-105]. Theoretical calculations led to the design of novel nanoparticulate anode catalysts for proton exchange membrane fuel cells (PEMFC) which are composed of trimetallic systems where which PtRu is alloyed with a third, non-noble metal such as Co, Ni, or W. Remarkably, the activity trends observed experimentally when using Pt-, PtRu-, PtRuNi-, and PtRuCo electrocatalysts corresponded exactly with the theoretical predictions (cf. Figure 5(a) and (b)) [102]. 

Fernandez JL, Raghuveer V, Manthiram A, Bard AJ. 2005a. Pd-Ti and Pd-Co-Au electrocatalysts as a replacement for platinum for oxygen reduction in proton exchange membrane fuel cells. J Am Chem Soc 127 13100-13101. 

Ferreira PJ, La O GJ, Shao-Hom Y, Morgan D, Makharia R, Kocha S, Gasteiger HA. 2005. Instability of Pt/C electrocatalysts in proton exchange membrane fuel cells—A mechanistic investigation. J Electrochem Soc 152 A2256-A2271. 

Fang, B., et al., High Pt loading on functionalized multiwall carbon nanotubes as a highly efficient cathode electrocatalyst for proton exchange membrane fuel cells. Journal of Materials Chemistry, 2011. 21(22) p. 8066-8073. 

Wee, J. H., Lee, K. Y, and Kim, S. H. Fabrication methods for low-Pt-loading electrocatalysts in proton exchange membrane fuel cell systems. Journal of Power Sources 2007 165 667-677. 

Raghuveer, V., Manthiram, A., and Bard, A.J., Pd-Co-Mo electrocatalyst for the oxygen reduction reaction in proton exchange membrane fuel cells, J. Phys. Chem. B, 109, 22909, 2005. 

Pt-based electrocatalysts are usually employed in proton exchange membrane fuel cells (PEMFC) and direct methanol fuel cells (DMSC). In direct-methanol fuel cells (DMFCs), aqueous methanol is electro-oxidized to produce COj and electrical current. To achieve enhanced DMFC performance, it is important to develop electrocatalysts with higher activity for methanol oxidation. Pt-based catalysts are currently favored for methanol electro-oxidation. In particular, Pt-Ru catalysts, which gave the best results, seem to be very promising catalysts for this application. Indeed, since Pt activates the C-H bounds of methanol (producing a Pt-CO and other surface species which induces platinum poisoning), an oxophilic metal, such as Ru, associated to platinum activates water to accelerate oxidation of surface-adsorbed CO to... 

Carbon supported Pt and Pt-alloy electrocatalysts form the cornerstone of the current state-of-the-art electrocatalysts for medium and low temperature fuel cells such as phosphoric and proton exchange membrane fuel cells (PEMECs). Electrocatalysis on these nanophase clusters are very different from bulk materials due to unique short-range atomic order and the electronic environment of these cluster interfaces. Studies of these fundamental properties, especially in the context of alloy formation and particle size are, therefore, of great interest. This chapter provides an overview of the structure and electronic nature of these supported... 

Fig. 6 Proton exchange membrane fuel cell the membrane-electrode assembly (MEA) consists of the Nation membrane with the electrocatalyst on the surface in contact with porous carbon...

Carbon aerogels and xerogels have been used as supports for Pt and Pt-based electrocatalysts for proton-exchange membrane fuel cells (PEMFCs), also known as polymer-electrolyte fuel cells [56,58,83-90], These fuel cells are convenient and environmentally acceptable power sources for portable and stationary devices and electric vehicle applications [91], These PEMFC systems can use H2 or methanol as fuel. This last type of fuel cell is sometimes called a DMFC (direct methanol fuel cell). 

Zhang L, Kim J, Chen HM, Nan F, Dudeck K, Liu RS, et al. A novel CO-tolerant PtRu core—shell structured electrocatalyst with Ru rich in core and Pt rich in shell for hydrogen oxidation reaction and its implication in proton exchange membrane fuel cell. J Power Sources 2011]196[22) 9in—23. 

Fang, B., Kim, J.H., Yu, J.S. Colloid-imprinted carbon with superb nanostructure as an efBcient cathode electrocatalyst support in proton exchange membrane fuel cell. Electrochem. Commun. 10(4), 659-662 (2008)... 

Herranz J, Lefevre M, Larouche N, Stansfield B, Dodelet JP (2007) Step-by-step synthesis of non-noble electrocatalysts for O2 reduction under proton exchange membrane fuel cell conditions. J Phys Chem C 111 19033-19042... 

Yuan XX, Zeng X, Zhang HI, Ma ZF, Wang CY (2010) Improved performance of proton exchange membrane fuel cells with p-toluenesulfonic acid-doped Co-PPy/C as cathode electrocatalyst. J Am Chem Soc 132(6) 1754—1755... 

Li WZ, Haidar P (2009) Supportless PdFe nanraods as highly active electrocatalyst for proton exchange membrane fuel cell. Electrochtan Commun 11(6) 1195—1198... 

Hemandez-Femandez P, Montiel M, Ocon P, de la Fuente JLG, Garcia-Rodriguez S, Rojas S, Fierro JLG (2010) Functionalization of multi-walled carbon nanotubes and application as a support for electrocatalysts in proton-exchange membrane fuel cell. Appl Catal B 99... 

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