Research Progress on Advanced Carbon Materials as Pt Support for Proton Exchange Membrane Fuel Cells

doi:10.15541/jim20190169

Abstract

Abstract:

Proton Exchange Membrane Fuel Cell (PEMFC) has the characteristics of high energy conversion efficiency, high power density, fast start-up at room temperature, low noise and zero pollution, which is expected to alleviate the energy crisis and reduce carbon dioxide emissions. It has broad application prospects in rail transit, aerospace and other fields. Catalyst is one of the key materials of PEMFC. Moreover, Pt catalysts are widely used and considered difficult to be replaced because of their good activity and stability in oxygen reduction reaction. Pt is expensive because of its limited storage. However, Pt loading could be significantly lessened by Pt support to improve PEMFC utilization. Carbon materials are widely used as Pt supports because of their low cost, high specific surface area, pore structure, adjustable conductivity and surface properties, but commercial carbon black supports have low utilization efficiency and poor electrochemical corrosion resistance for Pt. For realizing the large-scale application of PEMFC, it is necessary to develop new carbon supports which can uniformly disperse Pt, efficiently utilize Pt, be resistant to electrochemical corrosion, and have good conductivity, thus the performance and sustainability of PEMFC are improved. Carbon aerogels, carbon nanotubes, graphene and other new carbon supports with unique structures and properties, which are expected to improve PEMFC performance and life, have attracted the attention of many researchers. In this paper, the research progress on new carbon material as Pt support for PEMFC in recent years is reviewed systematically, and the development trend is also commented appropriately.

Key words: Proton Exchange Membrane Fuel Cell, carbon aerogel, carbon nanotube, graphene, review

CLC Number:

TQ15

LUO Yi,FENG Junzong,FENG Jian,JIANG Yonggang,LI Liangjun. Research Progress on Advanced Carbon Materials as Pt Support for Proton Exchange Membrane Fuel Cells[J]. Journal of Inorganic Materials, 2020, 35(4): 407-415.

Figures/Tables 9

Fig. 1 Schematic diagram of PEMFC[6] PEM: Proton exchange membrane; MEA: Membrane electrode assembly; GDL: Gas diffusion layer; CL: Catalyst layer

Fig. 2 Degradation schematic diagram of Pt nanoparticles on carbon black[21]

Fig. 3 AFM images of high oriented polyrotic graphite surface before (a) and after (b) electrochemical corrosion[27]

Fig. 4 FESEM micrographs of carbon aerogel samples CA20(a), CA30(b) and CA40(c) [28]

Fig. 5 Pore size distribution curves(a) of carbon aerogels determined by mercury porosimetry with different molar ratios of resorcinol (R) and sodium carbonate (C), and their corresponding single cell polarization curves(b)[29]

Fig. 6 TEM images after accelerated stress tests (AST P1) and Pt nanoparticles statistical distributions before and after accelerated stress tests (AST P1)of carbon aerogels (a), SnO2 coated carbon aerogels (b) supported Pt catalysts[36]

Fig. 7 Schematic illustrations of the structures(a-c), tunneling electron microscope image(d), transmission electron microscope image (e) of carbon nanotubes[38]

Fig. 8 PEMFC polarization curves recorded after accelerated stress tests with cathode catalysts of commercial Pt/carbon black (a) and Pt/carbon black-graphene hybrid material (b); Voltage retention normalized with respect to initial performance after 10, 20, 100, 200, 500, and 1000 cycles(c)[55]

Table 1 Comparison of some properties for four carbon supports

Property	Carbon black	Carbon aerogel	Carbon nanotubes	Graphene
Oxygen reduction reaction activity		√√	√√	√√
Proton transport	√	√	√√	√√
O₂transport	√	√	√√	√√
Water transport	√	√	√√	√√
Pt dispersion		√√
Carbon corrosion	√		√	√√
Particle coalescence		√√

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