Highly efficient and ORR active platinum-scandium alloy-partially exfoliated carbon nanotubes electrocatalyst for Proton Exchange Membrane Fuel Cell

Abstract

Oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) in Proton Exchange Membrane Fuel Cell (PEMFC) is the most sluggish reaction, which impedes the performance and commercialization of PEMFC. Platinum-based alloys show higher ORR activity than Pt and it is suggested by density functional theory calculations that Pt3Sc alloy has high stability and higher ORR activity due to filling the metal d-bands and lowers binding energy of the oxygen species respectively. Herein, we report Pt3Sc alloy nanoparticles (NPs) dispersed over partially exfoliated carbon nanotubes (PECNTs) as a cathode catalyst for single-cell measurements of PEMFC where Pt3Sc alloy shows a lower binding energy towards oxygen and facilitates ORR with much faster kinetics. The ORR activity of Pt3Sc/PECNTs electrocatalyst, investigated by cyclic voltammetry, Rotating Disk electrode (RDE) and Rotating Ring Disk electrode (RRDE), shows the higher mass activity and lower H2O2 formation than the commercial catalyst Pt/C-TKK. Accelerated Durability Tests (ADT) was performed to evaluate the stability of catalysts in acidic medium. In single-cell measurements, Pt3Sc/PECNTs cathode catalyst exhibits a power density of 760 mW cm−2 at 60 °C. Our study gives an important insight into the design of a novel ORR electrocatalyst with an excellent stability and high power density of PEMFC.