A Durable PEFC with Carbon-Supported Pt-TiO2 Cathode: A Cause and Effect Study

Selvaganesh, SV and Selvarani, G and Sridhar, P and Pitchumani, S and Shukla, AK (2010) A Durable PEFC with Carbon-Supported Pt-TiO2 Cathode: A Cause and Effect Study. In: Journal of the Electrochemical Society, 157 (7). B1000 -B1007.

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Abstract

Durability is central to the commercialization of polymer electrolyte fuel cells (PEFCs). The incorporation of TiO2 with platinum (Pt) ameliorates both the stability and catalytic activity of cathodes in relation to pristine Pt cathodes currently being used in PEFCs. PEFC cathodes comprising carbon-supported Pt-TiO2 (Pt-TiO2/C) exhibit higher durability in relation to Pt/C cathodes as evidenced by cell polarization, impedance, and cyclic voltammetry data. The degradation in performance of the Pt-TiO2/C cathodes is 10% after 5000 test cycles as against 28% for Pt/C cathodes. These data are in conformity with the electrochemical surface area and impedance values. Pt-TiO2/C cathodes can withstand even 10,000 test cycles with nominal effect on their performance. X-ray diffraction, transmission electron microscope, and cross-sectional field-emission-scanning electron microscope studies on the catalytic electrodes reflect that incorporating TiO2 with Pt helps in mitigating the aggregation of Pt particles and protects the Nafion membrane against peroxide radicals formed during the cathodic reduction of oxygen. (C) 2010 The Electrochemical Society. [DOI: 10.1149/1.3421970] All rights reserved.

Item Type:	Journal Article
Publication:	Journal of the Electrochemical Society
Publisher:	The Electrochemical Society
Additional Information:	Copyright of this article belongs to The Electrochemical Society.
Department/Centre:	Division of Chemical Sciences > Solid State & Structural Chemistry Unit
Date Deposited:	15 Jul 2010 06:19
Last Modified:	19 Sep 2010 06:10
URI:	http://eprints.iisc.ac.in/id/eprint/28887

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