Performance analysis of Fe–N–C catalyst for DMFC cathodes: Effect of water saturation in the cathodic catalyst layer

Monteverde, Alessandro; Sebastián, David; Vasile, Nicolo' Santi; Osmieri, Luigi; Aricò, A.S.; Baglio, V.

doi:10.1016/j.ijhydene.2016.06.060

Cited by 44 publications

(21 citation statements)

References 89 publications

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“…The DFT calculations demonstrated for the first time that Fe-N4 and Fe-N2C2 active sites preferentially adsorb oxygen with a much higher energy than methanol, while nitrogen-carbon related sites (pyridinic and graphitic nitrogen) are much less selective towards ORR [44]. In the DMFC system, water saturation has a dramatic effect on oxygen starvation at the cathode for this typology of Fe-N-C catalysts, as evident from 3D modelling [38]. A biological nitrogen precursor (EDTA) was also investigated by our group to elucidate the best catalyst characteristics, with Fe-N interactions, C-N defects, and pyridinic nitrogen highly conditioning the performance [61].…”

Section: Review Of Direct Methanol Fuel Cell Performance With M-n-c Cmentioning

confidence: 74%

“…The main differences among the various preparation procedures rely on the nitrogen precursors used. For instance, phthalocyanine (Pc) was used as a nitrogen and carbon source in several works [37][38][39][40]. Baranton et al [37] studied two designs of electrodes-the conventional dispersion of an iron phthalocyanine catalyst on carbon (FePc/C) and the molecular dispersion of a tetrasulfonated iron phthalocyanine (FeTsPc) in polyaniline (PAni), an electron conducting polymer.…”

Section: Synthesis Of Noble Metal Free Catalystsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Baranton et al [37] studied two designs of electrodes-the conventional dispersion of an iron phthalocyanine catalyst on carbon (FePc/C) and the molecular dispersion of a tetrasulfonated iron phthalocyanine (FeTsPc) in polyaniline (PAni), an electron conducting polymer. The group of Specchia et al used the monometallic iron phthalocyanine precursor in a couple of works [38,39]; five bimetallic catalysts were prepared by different combinations of two transition metals (Fe, Co, Cu, and Zn) phthalocyanine precursors [40]. These authors employed the so-called sacrificial support method (SSM), consisting of the use of a templating agent based on silica, which is removed by hydrofluoric Catalysts 2018, 8, 650 3 of 14 acid (HF) after the thermal treatment.…”

Section: Synthesis Of Noble Metal Free Catalystsmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Methanol-Tolerant M–N–C Catalysts for Oxygen Reduction Reactions in Acidic Media and Their Application in Direct Methanol Fuel Cells

et al. 2018

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Direct methanol fuel cells (DMFCs) are emerging technologies for the electrochemical conversion of the chemical energy of a fuel (methanol) directly into electrical energy, with a low environmental impact and high efficiency. Yet, before this technology can reach a large-scale diffusion, specific issues must be solved, in particular, the high cost of the cell components. In a direct methanol fuel cell system, high capital costs are mainly derived from the use of noble metal catalysts; therefore, the development of low-cost electro-catalysts, satisfying the target requirements of high performance and durability, represents an important challenge. The research is currently addressed to the development of metal-nitrogen-carbon (M-N-C) materials as cheap and sustainable catalysts for the oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) in an acid environment, for application in polymer electrolyte fuel cells fueled by hydrogen or alcohol. In particular, this mini-review summarizes the recent advancements achieved in DMFCs using M-N-C catalysts. The presented analysis is restricted to M-N-C catalysts mounted at the cathode of a DMFC or investigated in rotating disk electrode (RDE) configuration for the ORR in the presence of methanol in order to study alcohol tolerance. The main synthetic routes and characteristics of the catalysts are also presented.

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Section: Review Of Direct Methanol Fuel Cell Performance With M-n-c Cmentioning

confidence: 74%

Section: Synthesis Of Noble Metal Free Catalystsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Synthesis Of Noble Metal Free Catalystsmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Methanol-Tolerant M–N–C Catalysts for Oxygen Reduction Reactions in Acidic Media and Their Application in Direct Methanol Fuel Cells

et al. 2018

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“…The nanoparticles appear to be both located on the catalyst surface, and encapsulated inside the irregular carbon aggregates, as particularly evident in Figure d. These structures can be denoted as Fe−Co@C. The dark nanoparticles are typical of metal‐containing structures, that could correspond to either Fe, Co, and mixed Fe−Co oxides, carbides, and nitrides, or to metallic Fe and Co ,,. The EDX microanalysis system associated with the microscope was used to detect the elemental composition of the catalyst.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Polypyrrole‐Derived Fe−Co−N−C Catalyst for the Oxygen Reduction Reaction: Performance in Alkaline Hydrogen and Ethanol Fuel Cells

et al. 2018

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Alkaline membrane fuel cells (AMFCs) have started to become more attractive in recent years due to the development of polymeric membranes with good anionic conductivity and durability. However, few studies investigating the performance of H 2 /O 2 fueled AMFCs and alkaline direct ethanol fuel cells (DEFCs) with membrane electrode assemblies (MEAs) fabricated with Pt-group metal (PGM)-free catalysts are available in the literature. In this paper, we synthesized and fully characterized a FeÀCoÀNÀC electrocatalyst for the oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) by a sacrificial method, using pyrrole as a unique and inexpensive precursor for N-doped carbonaceous materials. Very good ORR activity and stability were obtained in alkaline conditions, most likely due to the presence of CoÀFe@C nanoparticles. We achieved a very high performance in an AMFC, 420 mW cm À2 at 60 8C, among the highest in the literature for PGM-free catalysts, and a good performance in a passive DEFC, 28 mW cm À2 at room temperature.[a] Dr.

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“…For all the different Nafion ® contents, the polarization curve suffers a steep decrease almost immediately after the maximum power density. This behavior suggests that the DEFC performance was highly affected by mass transport limitation problems [46], which can hinder the diffusion of O 2 into the highly microporous cathodic catalyst layer [23,69]. In this regard, even if in alkaline fuel cells the H 2 O as a product of the reaction is generated at the anode, the flooding of the cathode must not be excluded.…”

Section: V)mentioning

confidence: 99%

Application of a non-noble Fe-N-C catalyst for oxygen reduction reaction in an alkaline direct ethanol fuel cell

et al. 2018

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A Fe-N-C non-noble metal (NNM) catalyst for oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) catalyst was prepared via hard templating method using Fe(II)-phthalocyanine. Its electrochemical behavior towards the ORR was tested in alkaline conditions using cyclic voltammetry (CV) and rotating disk electrode (RDE) techniques. The kinetics of the reduction of the adsorbed oxygen, the selectivity, and the activity towards hydrogen peroxide reduction reaction (HPRR), were investigated. The ethanol tolerance and the stability in alkaline conditions were also assessed with the purpose to verify the good potentiality of this catalyst to be used in an alkaline direct ethanol fuel cell (DEFC). The results evidence that the ORR occurs mainly following the direct 4 ereduction to OH-, and that the Fe-N-C catalysts is highly ethanol tolerant with a promising stability. The alkaline DEFC tests, performed after the optimization of the ionomer amount used for the preparation of the catalyst ink, show good results at low-intermediate currents, with a maximum power density of 62 mW cm-2. The initial DEFC performance can be partially recovered after a purge-drying procedure. Keywords Fe(II)phthalocyanine; rotating disk electrode; anion exchange membrane fuel cell; stability; hydrogen peroxide reduction; cyclic voltammetry. Highlights  The ORR kinetics of a Fe-N-C catalyst was investigated using cyclic voltammetry  Fe-N-C catalyst is more active towards O 2 reduction than H 2 O 2 reduction  Fe-N-C catalyst is ethanol tolerant and shows good durability in RDE  Performance of alkaline DEFC varies using different ionomer wt. % at cathode  Short-term DEFC durability was preliminary assessed

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Performance analysis of Fe–N–C catalyst for DMFC cathodes: Effect of water saturation in the cathodic catalyst layer

Cited by 44 publications

References 89 publications

Methanol-Tolerant M–N–C Catalysts for Oxygen Reduction Reactions in Acidic Media and Their Application in Direct Methanol Fuel Cells

Methanol-Tolerant M–N–C Catalysts for Oxygen Reduction Reactions in Acidic Media and Their Application in Direct Methanol Fuel Cells

Polypyrrole‐Derived Fe−Co−N−C Catalyst for the Oxygen Reduction Reaction: Performance in Alkaline Hydrogen and Ethanol Fuel Cells

Application of a non-noble Fe-N-C catalyst for oxygen reduction reaction in an alkaline direct ethanol fuel cell

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