The effect of side-chain structures in perfluoro-sulfonic acid ionomers on the adsorption of the terminal sulfonate moiety on the surface of Pt is investigated with voltammetry and surface-enhanced infrared absorption spectroscopy (SEIRAS). Analyses with lowmolecular-weight model anions with and without an ether group in the perfluoro-alkyl chain indicate that the anions are adsorbed on Pt through one or two oxygen atom(s) of the terminal sulfonate group and that the oxygen atom of the ether group also interacts with the Pt surface, leading to stronger adsorption of the anions with an ether group. On the basis of the results obtained with the model anions, the adsorption of the terminal sulfonate moieties in perfluorinated sulfonic acid ionomers and its effect on oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) is discussed. It is shown that the ionomers having longer side chains more strongly block ORR due to the flexibility of the side chains.
thin-film rotating disk electrode (TF-RDE) methods in 0.1 M HClO 4. Ultrathin uniform catalyst layers and standardized activity measurement protocols are employed to obtain accurate and reproducible ORR activity. Nafion lowers the ORR activity which plateaus with increasing loading on Pt catalysts. Pt particle size is found not to have significant influence on the extent of the SA decrease upon Nafion incorporation. Catalysts using high surface area carbon (HSC) support exhibits attenuated activity loss resulting from lower ionomer coverage on catalyst particles located within the deep pores. The impact of metallic composition on the activity loss due to Nafion incorporation is also discussed.
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