Hostname: page-component-586b7cd67f-2plfb Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-30T20:21:00.299Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Nanoscale titania ceramic composite supports for PEM fuel cells

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  07 June 2012

Karen J. Armstrong ,
Lior Elbaz ,
Eve Bauer ,
Anthony K. Burrell ,
Thomas M. McCleskey  and
Eric L. Brosha
Karen J. Armstrong
Affiliation:
Materials Physics and Applications Division, Los Alamos National Laboratory, Los Alamos, New Mexico 87545
Lior Elbaz*
Affiliation:
Materials Physics and Applications Division, Los Alamos National Laboratory, Los Alamos, New Mexico 87545
Eve Bauer
Affiliation:
Materials Physics and Applications Division, Los Alamos National Laboratory, Los Alamos, New Mexico 87545
Anthony K. Burrell
Affiliation:
Materials Physics and Applications Division, Los Alamos National Laboratory, Los Alamos, New Mexico 87545
Thomas M. McCleskey
Affiliation:
Materials Physics and Applications Division, Los Alamos National Laboratory, Los Alamos, New Mexico 87545
Eric L. Brosha
Affiliation:
Materials Physics and Applications Division, Los Alamos National Laboratory, Los Alamos, New Mexico 87545
*
a)Address all correspondence to this author. e-mail: [email protected]
Get access

Abstract

Titanium-based ceramic supports designed for polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cells were synthesized, and catalytic activity was explored using electrochemical analysis. Synthesis of high surface area TiO2 and TiO supports was accomplished by rapidly heating a gel of polyethyleneimine-bound titanium in a tube furnace under a forming gas atmosphere. X-ray diffraction analysis revealed anatase phase formation for the TiO2 materials and crystallite sizes of less than 10 nm in both cases. Subsequent disposition of platinum through an incipient wetness approach leads to highly dispersed crystallites of platinum, less than 6 nm each, on the conductive supports. Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM)/energy dispersive x-ray analysis results showed a highly uniform Ti and Pt distribution on the surface of both materials. The supports without platinum are highly stable to acidic aqueous conditions and show no signs of oxygen reduction reactivity (ORR). However, once the 20 wt% platinum is added to the material, ORR activity comparable to XC-72-based materials is observed.

Type
Articles
Information
Journal of Materials Research , Volume 27 , Issue 15: Focus Issue: Advanced Materials for Fuel Cells , 14 August 2012 , pp. 2046 - 2054
Copyright
Copyright © Materials Research Society 2012

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

REFERENCES

1.Borup, R.L., Davey, J.R., Garzon, F.H., Wood, D.L., and Inbody, M.A.: PEM fuel cell electrocatalyst durability measurements. J. Power Sources 163(1), 76 (2006).CrossRefGoogle Scholar
2.Borup, R.L., Garzon, F.H., Wood, D.L., Davey, J.R., and Brosha, E.L.: PEM electrode durability measurements. Presented at Electrochemical Society, Second International Conference on Polymer Batteries and Fuel Cells June 12-17, 2005, Las Vegas, NV (2005).Google Scholar
3.Bekkedahl, T.A., Bregoli, L.J., Breault, R.D., Dykeman, E.A., Meyers, J.P., Patterson, T.W., Skiba, T., Vargas, C., Yang, D.Y., and Jung, S.: Reducing fuel cell cathode potential during startup and shutdown. U.S. Patent No. 20040081866. (2004).Google Scholar
4.Garzon, F.H., Davey, J.R., and Borup, R.L.: Fuel cell catalyst particle size growth characterized by x-ray scattering methods. ECS Trans. 8(1), 153 (2005).Google Scholar
5.Borup, R.L., Davey, J.R., Wood, D., Garzon, F., Inbody, M., and Guidry, D.: PEM Fuel Cell Durability. 2005 DOE Hydrogen Program Review, (Department of Energy, Washington, DC, 2005).Google Scholar
6.Wilson, M.S., Garzon, F.H., Sickafus, K.E., and Gottesfeld, S.: Modeling and experimental diagnostics in polymer electrolyte fuel cells. J. Electrochem. Soc. 140(10), 2872 (1993).CrossRefGoogle Scholar
7.More, K.L.: Microstructural Characterization of Polymer Electrolyte Membrane Fuel Cell Membrane Electrode Assemblies. DOE Annual Report (Department of Energy, Washington, DC, 2005).Google Scholar
8.Garzon, F.H., Davey, J.R., and Borup, R.L.: Fuel cell catalyst particle size growth characterized by x-ray scattering methods. ECS Meeting Abstracts, Vol. MA 2005-02, 2223 (2005).Google Scholar
9.Raistrick, D.: Modified gas diffusion electrode for proton exchange membrane fuel cells, in Proceedings of the Symposium on Diaphragms, Separators, and Ion Exchange Membranes, the Electrochemical Society, edited by Van Zee, J.W., White, R.E., Kinoshita, K., and Burney, H.S. (The Electrochemical Society, Inc., Pennington, NJ, 1986); p. 172.Google Scholar
10.Raistrick, D.: Electrode assembly for use in a polymer electrolyte fuel cell. U.S. Patent No. 4,876,115, (1989).Google Scholar
11.Ticianelli, E.A., Derouin, C.R., and Srinivasan, S.: Localization of platinum in low catalyst loading electrodes to attain high-power densities in SPE fuel cells. J. Electroanal. Chem. 251, 275 (1988).CrossRefGoogle Scholar
12.Ticianelli, E.A., Derouin, C.R., Redondo, A., and Srinivasan, S.: Methods to attain high-power densities in solid-polymer electrolyte fuel-cells using low platinum loading electrodes. J. Electrochem. Soc. 135, 2209 (1988).CrossRefGoogle Scholar
13.Wilson, M.S.: Membrane catalyst layer for fuel cells. U.S. Patent No. 5,234,777, (1993).Google Scholar
14.Wilson, M.S. and Gottesfeld, S.: High-performance catalyzed membranes of ultra-low pt loadings for polymer electrolyte fuel-cells. J. Electrochem. Soc. 139, L28–L30 (1992).CrossRefGoogle Scholar
15.Wilson, M.S. and Gottesfeld, S.: Thin-film catalyst layers for polymer electrolyte fuel-cell electrodes. J. Appl. Electrochem. 22, 1 (1992).CrossRefGoogle Scholar
16.Stevens, D.A., Hicks, M.T., Haugen, G.M., and Dahn, J.R.: Ex situ and in situ stability studies of PEMFC catalysts. J. Electrochem. Soc. 152(12), A2309 (2005).CrossRefGoogle Scholar
17.Coloma, F., Sepulveda-Escribano, A., and Rodriguez-Reinoso, F.: Heat-treated carbon-blacks as supports for platinum catalysts. J. Catal. 154(2), 299 (1995).CrossRefGoogle Scholar
18.Antolini, E. and Gonzalez, E.R.: Ceramic materials as supports for low-temperature fuel cell catalysts. Solid State Ionics 180, 746 (2009).CrossRefGoogle Scholar
19.Shao, Y., Liu, J., Wang, Y., and Lin, Y.: Novel catalyst support materials or PEM fuel cells: Current status and future prospects. J. Mater. Chem. 19, 46 (2009).CrossRefGoogle Scholar
20.Maiyalagan, T., Viswanathan, B., and Varadaraju, U.V.: Nitrogen containing carbon nanotubes as supports for Pt—alternate anodes for fuel cell applications. Electrochem. Commun. 7(9), 905 (2005).CrossRefGoogle Scholar
21.Kongkanand, A., Kuwubata, S., Girishkumar, G., and Kamat, P.: Single-wall carbon nanotubes supported platinum nanoparticles with improved electrocatalytic activity for oxygen reduction reaction. Langmuir 22(5), 2392 (2006).CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
22.Wang, X., Li, W., Chen, Z., Waje, M., and Yan, Y.: Durability investigation of carbon nanotube as catalyst support for proton exchange membrane fuel cell. J. Power Sources 158(1), 154 (2006).CrossRefGoogle Scholar
23.Shim, J., Lee, C., Lee, H., Lee, J., and Cairns, E.: Electrochemical characteristics of Pt–WO3/C and Pt–TiO2/C electrocatalysts in a polymer electrolyte fuel cell. J. Power Sources 102(1–2), 172 (2001).CrossRefGoogle Scholar
24.Xiong, L. and Manthiram, A.: Synthesis and characterization of methanol tolerant Pt/TiOx/C nanocomposites for oxygen reduction in direct methanol fuel cells. Electrochim. Acta 49(24), 4163 (2004).CrossRefGoogle Scholar
25.Wu, G., Nelson, M.A., Mack, N.H., Ma, S., Sekhar, P., Garzon, F.H., and Zelenay, P.: Titanium dioxide-supported non-precious metal oxygen reduction electrocatalyst. Chem. Commun. 46(40), 7489 (2010).CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
26.Blackmore, K.J., Elbaz, L., Bauer, E., Brosha, E.L., More, K., McCleskey, T.M., and Burrell, A.K.: High surface area Molybdenum nitride support for fuel cell electrodes. J. Electrochem. Soc. 158(10), B1255 (2011).CrossRefGoogle Scholar
27.Markovic, N.M., Schmidt, T.J., Stamenkovic, V., and Ross, P.N.: Oxygen reduction reaction on Pt and Pt bimetallic surfaces: A selective review. Fuel Cells 1(2), 105 (2001).3.0.CO;2-9>CrossRefGoogle Scholar
28.Cai, Y. and Adzic, R.R.: Platinum monolayer electrocatalysts for the oxygen reduction reaction: Improvements induced by surface and subsurface modifications of cores. Adv. Phys. Chem. 2011, 530397, 1–16 (2011).Google Scholar