Abstract
High performing, low-Pt content fuel cell membrane electrode assemblies (MEAs) are critical to the economic viability of proton exchange membrane fuel cells (PEMFCs) for the transportation industry. Considerable research has been conducted to reduce the Pt content in fuel cells, leading to the development of transition metal alloys, such as Platinum-Cobalt (PtCo). The degree of degradation of PtCo catalysts can be impacted by the catalyst metal itself and its interactions with the carbon support. Several low-PtCo MEAs were fabricated, with various combinations of porous and solid carbon cathode catalyst supports. The MEAs were subjected to an accelerated stress test (AST), and the catalyst degradation characterized using electrochemical, X-ray scattering, and electron microscopy techniques. Porous supports retain more of their electrochemically-active surface area (ECSA) and demonstrate higher performance after the AST. This is believed to be due to the ability of the porous supports to trap the metal particles within the pores, slowing their dissolution/precipitation, and agglomeration.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Title of host publication | PRiME 2020 |
| Subtitle of host publication | Polymer Electrolyte Fuel Cells and Electrolyzers 20 (PEFC and E 20) |
| Editors | K. Swider-Lyons, H. Uchida, P. N. Pintauro, W. Mustain, F. Buechi, B. S. Pivovar, C. A. Rice, J. M. Fenton, P. Strasser, K. E. Ayers, A. Z. Weber, R. A. Mantz, H. Xu, S. Mitsushima, E. Kjeang, T. J. Schmidt, B. Lakshmanan, A. Kusoglu, H. Jia, D. J. Jones, D. H. Ha, S. K. Kim |
| Publisher | IOP Publishing Ltd |
| Pages | 505-516 |
| Number of pages | 12 |
| Edition | 9 |
| ISBN (Electronic) | 9781607689041 |
| DOIs | |
| State | Published - 2020 |
| Event | Pacific Rim Meeting on Electrochemical and Solid State Science 2020, PRiME 200 - Honolulu, United States Duration: Oct 4 2020 → Oct 9 2020 |
Publication series
| Name | ECS Transactions |
|---|---|
| Number | 9 |
| Volume | 98 |
| ISSN (Print) | 1938-6737 |
| ISSN (Electronic) | 1938-5862 |
Conference
| Conference | Pacific Rim Meeting on Electrochemical and Solid State Science 2020, PRiME 200 |
|---|---|
| Country/Territory | United States |
| City | Honolulu |
| Period | 10/4/20 → 10/9/20 |
Funding
Research sponsored by the Fuel Cell Technologies Office, Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy, U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), as part of the FC-PAD Consortia. Microscopy performed as part of a user project at ORNL’s Center for Nanophase Materials Sciences (CNMS), which is a U.S. DOE Office of Science User Facility and instrumentation provided by US DOE, Office of Nuclear Energy, Fuel Cycle R&D Program and the Nuclear Science User Facilities. The X-ray scattering experiments were performed at beamline 9-ID-C at the Advanced Photon Source (APS) at Argonne National Laboratory. Use of the APS, an Office of Science user facility operated by Argonne National Laboratory, is supported by the U.S. Department of Energy, Office of Science, Office of Basic Energy Sciences, under Contract No. DE-AS02-06CH11357. The authors would like to thank Jan Ilavsky and Ivan Kuzmenko of the APS.