Towards ultralow platinum loading proton exchange membrane fuel cells

Abstract

With the coming worldwide commercialization of proton exchange membrane fuel cell (PEMFC), the challenges regarding its cost, performance and durability urgently need to be overcome. Developing ultralow platinum (Pt) loading...

Tailoring ionomer distribution in the catalyst layer via heteroatom-functionalization toward superior PEMFC performance

“…The difference of ECSA H-upd reflects the difficulty of hydrogen protons crossing the catalytic layer and reaching the platinum surface. 21,22 The ECSA H-upd values of Pt 0.9 V, respectively, which shows the same trend as the ECSA H-upd result (Fig. 3b).…”

“…The difference of ECSA H-upd reflects the difficulty of hydrogen protons crossing the catalytic layer and reaching the platinum surface. 21,22 The ECSA H-upd values of Pt 3 Co/C, Pt 3 Co/O–C, Pt 3 Co/S–C, and Pt 3 Co/N–C are estimated to be 40.58 ± 0.52, 53.23 ± 0.89, 49.58 ± 1.95 and 59.72 ± 0.74 m 2 g Pt −1 , respectively. Pt 3 Co/N–C exhibited the largest area of ECSA H-upd , implying that nitrogen functionalization of the catalyst was beneficial for the dispersion of ionomer on the catalyst surface and effectively releasing more active sites of Pt.…”

Recent Advances in Ultralow‐Pt‐Loading Electrocatalysts for the Efficient Hydrogen Evolution

“…In summary, UPLEs use a minimal amount of platinum to achieve high catalytic activity, which can be designed as Pt nanoparticles, Pt-based alloys and Pt-based heterogeneous electrocatalysts. According to the recent published works, [83][84][85][86] as the commercialized 20%Pt/C is commonly used as the benchmark catalyst for HER. The Pt-loading on the working electrode will be counted for 0.04 mg cm −2 as a strategy for blending 2 mg (catalyst powder) with 20 μL Nafion solution (5 wt%) and 980 μL mixture of isopropanol/ethanol/water.…”

Template-Assisted Mechanosynthesis Leading to Benchmark Energy Efficiency and Sustainability in the Production of Bifunctional Fe–N–C Electrocatalysts

“…Despite the obvious advantages of solid-phase synthesis, the viability of industry-scale production of M–N–Cs is still hindered by the resource-intensive nature of the pyrolysis process required to effectively form the catalytic species . The resulting high cost of M–N–C catalysts will significantly impact the total price of the ESC stack, as the catalyst constitutes a significant portion of the scaled-up ESC cost . Additionally, in the overall viability assessment of ESC systems, identifying the catalyst production footprint remains an overlooked aspect of catalyst design–crucial to ensure the sustainability of ESC-derived energy .…”

“…14 The resulting high cost of M−N−C catalysts will significantly impact the total price of the ESC stack, as the catalyst constitutes a significant portion of the scaled-up ESC cost. 15 Additionally, in the overall viability assessment of ESC systems, identifying the catalyst production footprint remains an overlooked aspect of catalyst design−crucial to ensure the sustainability of ESC-derived energy. 16 To pioneer the sustainability assessment, related waste mapping, and costbased efficiency of M−N−C synthesis, a multilayer stream mapping framework (MSM) was applied.…”