Synthesis and Characterization of Low Platinum-Cobalt Alloy Cathode Catalysts by Rapid Annealing and Quenching Method for Fuel Cell Applications

摘要

Polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cell (PEFC) has tremendous attention due to its attractive properties such as low-temperature operation, high power density and application of solid electrolyte. Thus, it is considered as a reliable power sources for transport, residential and portable applications. However, current PEFC designs encounter problems such as materials compatibility, fabrication cost, performance degradation, heat transfer and so forth. Much research has been carried out to enhance the PEFC performance and durability by improving the electrode in which Pt is commonly used. To further improve the performance of electrode, it is important to enhance the Pt catalyst utilization in the electrode. On the other hand, Pt is extremely rare and expensive, which limits the practical application and wide-scale commercialization of PEFC. Low Pt content catalyst and its alloy have great potential to overcome these limitations by lowering Pt consumption, while its high catalytic activity and durability can be maintained in the meantime.