Carbon xerogels as catalyst supports for PEM fuel cell cathode

Abstract

Carbon xerogels with various pore textures were prepared by evaporative drying and pyrolysis of resorcinol–formaldehyde gels, and used as supports for Pt catalysts in PEM fuel cell cathodes. The goal of this study was to determine whether carbon xerogels could replace the carbon aerogels which were previously used as Pt catalyst supports in the same electrochemical system, and to determine how the pore texture influences the cell performances. Pt catalysts were prepared by impregnation of carbon supports with aqueous H 2PtCl 6 solution followed by reduction in aqueous phase with NaBH 4. Fuel cell measurements show that the metal surface actually available for the oxygen reduction reaction and the voltage losses due to diffusion phenomena strongly depend on the carbon pore texture. Finally, some carbon xerogels yield similar performance than carbon aerogels.