Nano Express
Durability test with fuel starvation using a Pt/CNF catalyst in PEMFC
- † Equal contributors
1 School of Chemical Engineering and Bioengineering, University of Ulsan, Daehak-ro 102, Nam-gu, Ulsan, 680-749, South Korea
2 ORDEG Co. Ltd., 404 Moknae-dong, Danwon-gu, Ansan-si, Gyunggi-do, 425-100, South Korea
Nanoscale Research Letters 2012, 7:34 doi:10.1186/1556-276X-7-34
Published: 5 January 2012Abstract
In this study, a catalyst was synthesized on carbon nanofibers [CNFs] with a herringbone-type morphology. The Pt/CNF catalyst exhibited low hydrophilicity, low surface area, high dispersion, and high graphitic behavior on physical analysis. Electrodes (5 cm2) were prepared by a spray method, and the durability of the Pt/CNF was evaluated by fuel starvation. The performance was compared with a commercial catalyst before and after accelerated tests. The fuel starvation caused carbon corrosion with a reverse voltage drop. The polarization curve, EIS, and cyclic voltammetry were analyzed in order to characterize the electrochemical properties of the Pt/CNF. The performance of a membrane electrode assembly fabricated from the Pt/CNF was maintained, and the electrochemical surface area and cell resistance showed the same trend. Therefore, CNFs are expected to be a good support in polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cells.
