Carbon monoxide tolerant anodes for proton exchange membrane (PEM) fuel cells. II. alloy catalyst development

摘要

PEM fuel cells are highly attractive for distributed power and cogeneration systems. To be competitive, they must operate on fuel mixtures obtained by reforming of widely available natural gas. Such fuels invariably contain CO, a strong poison for Pt. Therefore, CO tolerant anode catalysts are essential for wide spread PEMFC introduction. Ternary PtRuX alloy catalysts where X=Ni, Pd, Co, Rh, Ir, Mn, Cr, W, Nb, Zr, were synthesized and evaluated as fuel cell anodes in the presence of CO. The alloys were prepared as well defined thin films on standard TFE-bonded carbon substrates via a de magnetron sputtering technique. We containing catalysts with substantially increased tolerance towards the presence of CO were developed.