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Stability of Pt–Co/C and Pt–Pd/C based oxygen reduction reaction electrocatalysts prepared at a low temperature by a combined impregnation and seeding process in PEM fuel cells

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Abstract

The stability of Pt–Co/C and Pt–Pd/C electrocatalysts relative to that of a commercial Pt/C catalyst was measured in terms of the loss of the electrochemical surface area (ESA). The electrocatalytic activity was investigated in an acidic solution (0.3 M H2SO4) and in a single PEM fuel cell under H2/O2 conditions. In the acidic solution, the ESA of the catalyst decreased as the number of repeated potential cycles increased, which is likely to be due to dissolution of the different metals contained within the catalyst structure. In the fuel cell environment, the deterioration of the cell performance increased as the number of repeated potential cycles increased. Thus, the loss of cell performance may be related to the loss of the ESA. In addition, the loss of the catalyst’s ESA affected the cell performance at low-, medium-, and high- current densities, indicating a loss of either the activation potential or an ohmic loss. Among the three electrocatalysts evaluated, the Pt–Co/C based one exhibited the highest electrocatalytic activity in both the acidic solution and in the fuel cell environment.

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Acknowledgments

The authors would like to thank the Faculty of Science, Chulalongkorn University, for financial support. The Higher Education Research Promotion and National Research University Project of Thailand, Office of the Higher Education Commission (EN276B) plus the Thai Government Stimulus Package 2 (TKK2555), under the Project for Establishment of a Comprehensive Center for Innovative Food, Health Products and Agriculture are thanked for facility support. Also, we thank the Publication Counseling Unit (PCU) of the Faculty of Science, Chulalongkorn University, and Dr. Robert D.J. Butcher for comments, suggestions and checking the grammar.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Fuels Research Center, Department of Chemical Technology, Faculty of Science, Chulalongkorn University, 254 Phayathai Road, Bangkok, 10330, Thailand

    Chortip Termpornvithit, Nuchaporn Chewasatn & Mali Hunsom

  2. Center of Excellence on Petrochemical and Materials Technology (PETRO-MAT), Chulalongkorn University, 254 Phayathai Road, Bangkok, 10330, Thailand

    Mali Hunsom

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  1. Chortip Termpornvithit
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  2. Nuchaporn Chewasatn
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Correspondence to Mali Hunsom.

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Termpornvithit, C., Chewasatn, N. & Hunsom, M. Stability of Pt–Co/C and Pt–Pd/C based oxygen reduction reaction electrocatalysts prepared at a low temperature by a combined impregnation and seeding process in PEM fuel cells. J Appl Electrochem 42, 169–178 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10800-012-0384-6

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10800-012-0384-6

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