Enhanced CO Tolerance of PEFC Anode Catalyst by Optimized Degree of Activation of Resorcinol-Formaldehyde Carbon Support

Abstract

In this study, a series of resorcinol-formaldehyde carbons (RFCs) were prepared by varying the degree of activation such as 0, 42, and 58, in order to control their surface areas and porosity. Then, these RFCs were used as supports to prepare Pt2Ru3 anode catalysts. These catalysts were characterized by many techniques including BET, DH calculation, XRD, STEM and CO tolerant by polymer electrolyte fuel cell (PEFC) single cell analysis. It was found that higher degree of activation of RFCs (i.e. rc1400ac42 and rc1400ac58) have larger micropore and mesopore volume. In case of CO tolerant by PEFC single cell unit, Pt2Ru3/rc1400ac58 showed the same performance as the commercial Pt2Ru3/C in pure H2 (0.76 V at 0.2 A/cm2), but Pt2Ru3/rc1400ac58 showed superior performance at 2000 ppm CO contamination. Nafion dispersion of Pt2Ru3/rc1400ac58 was also found to be better than that of the Pt2Ru3/C, since pore structure was optimized by degree of activation.