Highly Durable Pt-Based Catalyst Supported on Carbon Derived from Tamarind Seeds for Oxygen Reduction Reaction in PEM Fuel Cell

Abstract

In the process of developing an excellent active and stable Pt/C electrocatalyst for oxygen reduction reaction in fuel cells, metals are supported on heteroatom doped mesoporous carbon derived from natural resources. In this context, tamarind seeds are utilized to derive high surface area porous carbon for N heteroatom doping and followed by Pt deposition for oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) catalyst. The synthesis process involves optimization of temperature, N-content in the catalyst followed by Pt deposition by virtue of their electrochemical ORR behavior. The Pt/N-TC-1000 catalyst exhibits an outstanding activity and stability towards ORR even after 20,000 potential cycles. This is credited to the existence of N heteroatom in the matrix of carbon, where N acts as the linker between Pt and TC-1000 to avail the Pt-N and N-C chemical bonds in the Pt/N-TC-1000 catalyst. A peak power density of 800 mW cm−2 is attained while evaluating the catalyst performance in a H2-O2 polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cell (PEMFC), at 70 °C and ambient pressure. The Pt/N-TC-1000 catalyst outpaces the commercial Pt/C with reference to fuel cell performance and stability. This is attributed to the high porous and corrosion resistive carbon support in combination with the strong Pt–N–C chemical bonds.