Palladium-Based Anion-Exchange Membrane Fuel Cell Using KOH-Doped Polybenzimidazole as the Electrolyte

High Performance Palladium Supported on Nanoporous Carbon under Anhydrous Condition

Due to the high cost of polymer electrolyte fuel cells (PEFCs), replacing platinum (Pt) with some inexpensive metal was carried out. Here, we deposited palladium nanoparticles (Pd-NPs) on nanoporous carbon (NC) after wrapping by poly[2,2'-(2,6-pyridine)-5,5'-bibenzimidazole] (PyPBI) doped with phosphoric acid (PA) and the Pd-NPs size was successfully controlled by varying the weight ratio between Pd precursor and carbon support doped with PA. The membrane electrode assembly (MEA) fabricated from the optimized electrocatalyst with 0.05 mgPd cm-2 for both anode and cathode sides showed a power density of 76 mW cm-2 under 120 °C without any humidification, which was comparable to the commercial CB/Pt, 89 mW cm-2 with 0.45 mgPt cm-2 loaded in both anode and cathode. Meanwhile, the power density of hybrid MEA with 0.45 mgPt cm-2 in cathode and 0.05 mgPd cm-2 in anode reached 188 mW cm-2. The high performance of the Pt-free electrocatalyst was attributed to the porous structure enhancing the gas diffusion and the PyPBI-PA facilitating the proton conductivity in catalyst layer. Meanwhile, the durability of Pd electrocatalyst was enhanced by coating with acidic polymer. The newly fabricated Pt-free electrocatalyst is extremely promising for reducing the cost in the high-temperature PEFCs.

Growth and Deposition of Au Nanoclusters on Polymer-wrapped Graphene and Their Oxygen Reduction Activity

The development of a non-Pt electrocatalyst with a high performance for the oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) is one of the central issues in polymer electrolyte fuel cells science. Au-nanoparticles (Au-NPs) with a diameter of <2 nm are one of the promising substitutes of Pt-NPs; however, it is still a challenge to synthesize such a small-sized Au-NPs with a narrow diameter distribution on a carbon support without using capping agents. We here describe a facile method to deposit uniform Au-NPs (diameter = 1.6 nm and 3.3 nm) on the stacked-graphene (<10 layers) coated with poly[2,2'-(2,6-pyridine)-5,5'-bibenzimidazole] without using any capping agents. The obtained Au-NPs exhibit an excellent ORR activity with the onset potential at -0.11 V and -0.09 V (vs. Ag/AgCl) for 1.6 nm and 3.3 nm, respectively. On the other hand, inhomogeneous Au-NPs with 4.6 nm in average diameter shows the onset potential at -0.15 V (vs. Ag/AgCl).