Nickel-copper supported on a carbon black hydrogen oxidation catalyst integrated into an anion-exchange membrane fuel cell

Aaron Roy, Morteza R. Talarposhti, Stanley J. Normile, Iryna V. Zenyuk, Vincent De Andrade, Kateryna Artyushkova, Alexey Serov, Plamen Atanassov

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

117 Scopus citations

Abstract

This work introduces the first practical platinum group metal-free (PGM-free) electrocatalyst for the hydrogen oxidation reaction (HOR) in alkaline membrane fuel cells (AMFCs), based on nickel-rich Ni95Cu5-alloy nanoparticles supported on Ketjenblack (KB) family carbon blacks. The catalyst synthesis is scalable and results in an expected true alloy of NiCu, which is thoroughly characterized by XRD, microscopy and XPS. The reactivity of the catalyst towards the HOR is studied by cyclic voltammetry and explained in view of its composition and structure. This catalyst showed the highest specific activity compared to previously reported NiCu electrocatalysts and was successfully integrated into an AMFC membrane electrode assembly (MEA) using a commercially available state-of-the-art membrane and an ionomer. Single MEA fuel cell tests have demonstrated a power density of 350 mW cm-2 at 80 °C, which sets a technical record for a PGM-free anode in realistic operating conditions. The MEA with the NiCu/KB anode catalyst layer was evaluated by in situ nano- and in operando micro-X-ray computed tomography (CT) and the results suggest that the nickel state in NiCu is hydrophobic in nature, where the NiCu surface may be isostructural with β-Ni(OH)2. The hydrophobic nature of the electrocatalyst allows for improved water distribution in the MEA and overall fuel cell as observed by in operando micro-X-ray CT.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)2268-2275
Number of pages8
JournalSustainable Energy and Fuels
Volume2
Issue number10
DOIs
StatePublished - 2018
Externally publishedYes

Funding

The project is supported by DOE EERE program, Incubator Award DE-EE0006962 "Development of PGM-free Catalysts for Hydrogen Oxidation Reaction in Alkaline Media". This research used resources of the Advanced Photon Source, a U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Office of Science User Facility operated for the DOE Office of Science by Argonne National Laboratory under Contract No. DE-AC02-06CH11357. The Advanced Light Source is supported by the Director, Office of Science, Office of Basic Energy Sciences, of the U.S. Department of Energy under Contract No. DE-AC02-05CH11231.

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