Investigation of Oxygen Reduction on Platinum Nanoparticles Deposited Onto Peat-Derived Carbon Carrier

Abstract

Carbon supported platinum catalysts for proton exchange membrane fuel cell (PEMFC) applications have been studied intensively in the scientific community. The aim of this study was to investigate the oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) on platinum nanoparticles deposited onto peat-derived carbon. The Pt nanoparticles were deposited onto the carbon support material by three different methods – using NaBH4 (NBH), ethylene glycol (EG) or isopropyl alcohol (IA) as a reducing agent. The structure of the studied materials was characterized using N2 sorption analysis, X-ray diffraction analysis, thermogravimetric analysis and scanning electron microscopy with energy-dispersive X-ray analysis methods. For electrochemical characterization, the electrochemically active surface area (ECA) and the ORR kinetics of the materials were measured in a PEMFC. The catalytic activity of the synthesized materials depends on the Pt reduction method and increases in order: IA < NBH < EG. It was found that materials with high ECA also have high catalytic activity.