Oxygen Reduction Reaction Activity and Durability of Pt-Ni Catalysts Synthesized By a Continuous Flow Reactor

摘要

In recent years, polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cell (PEMFC) technology has attracted much attention and enabled the successful commercialization of fuel cell electric vehicles (FCEVs). However, the continuation of FCEV deployment still faces various hurdles, of which one major challenge is related to the high cost of platinum-based catalysts. Substantial efforts have been dedicated for improving catalyst structure and composition to enhance their performance and thus lower the loadings for cost reduction. For example, shape-controlled catalysts such as octahedral PtNi and PtCo alloy nanoparticles showed much higher activity for oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) than the conventional Pt/C catalyst. However, those advanced catalysts were typically prepared by batch synthesis with quantities often as little as a few milligrams, making it difficult for validation and further development of membrane electrode assembly (MEA) for commercial application. Attempt in increasing the catalyst amount by multiple batches can be time-consuming and sometimes challenging to maintain the consistency.