Oxidation of H2 and CO in a fuel cell with a Platinum-tin Anode

Abstract

This report describes the construction and evaluation of a fuel cell with a bi-metallic anode of Pt-Sn supported on carbon, as catalysts for oxidation of pure hydrogen, pure CO and a 2% CO in H2 mixture. Both, cathode and anode were made with a structure composed by a diffusive layer and a catalytic layer. The diffusive layer was made with a carbon cloth while the catalytic layer contained the platinum and tin supported on carbon. To test the performance of the catalytic mixture, a proton exchange membrane fuel cell (PEMFC) was developed with an original design for the gas distribution plates. The reactants were feed to ambient temperature and 3 psig in the anode side, while 5 psig pure oxygen was used in the cathode. The anode catalytic load was 0.57 mg/cm2 of platinum and 0.08 mg/cm2 of tin. The catalytic load in cathode was 0.85 mg/cm2 of pure platinum. It was found that this catalytic mixture is tolerant to CO presence.