PtCoCr/C electrocatalysts for proton-conducting polymer electrolyte fuel cells

Abstract

Results from studies done at the Frumkin Institute of Physical Chemistry and Electrochemistry on creating modern PtCoCr/C core-shell catalytic systems, in which the core is an alloy of metals and the shell is enriched with platinum, are discussed. A new catalyst property that ensures activity, oxygen-to-water reduction selectivity, and corrosion stability is the reduced occupation of the Pt shell’s surface by strongly chemosorbed oxygen. A design for a PtCoCr/C membrane electrode assembly (MEA) cathode is developed, and accelerated stress tests in a proton-conducting polymer electrolyte fuel cell are performed to determine its service life. It is shown that the characteristics obtained using PtCoCr/C (30 wt % of Pt) and a halved amount of Pt on the cathode compare well with the characteristics for Pt/C catalyst. In addition, the efficiency of Pt in PtCoCr/C is much higher than in Pt/C under the studied conditions. The final results allow us to move on to the next stage of our work: organizing the production of state-of-the-art low-temperature fuel cells with characteristics that meet international standards, using domestic materials.