Highly Stable and CO-Tolerant Pt/Ti0.7W0.3O2 Electrocatalyst for Proton-Exchange Membrane Fuel Cells

摘要

The current materials used in proton-exchange membrane fuel cells (PEMFCs) are not sufficiently durable for commercial deployment. One of the major challenges lies in the development of an inexpensive, efficient, and CO-tolerant anode catalyst. Here we report the unique CO-tolerant property of Pt nanoparticles supported on Ti_0.7W_0.3O₂. The Ti_0.7W_0.3O₂ nanoparticles (50 nm) were synthesized via a sol−gel process and platinized using an impregnation−reduction technique. Electrochemical studies of Pt/Ti_0.7W_0.3O₂ show unique CO-tolerant electrocatalytic activity for hydrogen oxidation compared to commercial E-TEK PtRu/C catalysts. Differential electrochemical mass spectrometry measurements show the onset potential for CO oxidation on Pt/Ti_0.7W_0.3O₂ to be below 0.1 V (vs RHE). Pt/Ti_0.7W_0.3O₂ is a promising new anode catalyst for PEMFC applications.