New Approach to Synthesizing Cathode PtCo/C Catalysts for Low-Temperature Fuel Cells
Sergey Belenov,
Dmitriy Mauer,
Elizabeth Moguchikh,
Anna Gavrilova,
Alina Nevelskaya,
Egor Beskopylny,
Ilya Pankov,
Aleksey Nikulin,
Anastasia Alekseenko
Affiliations
Sergey Belenov
Faculty of Chemistry, Southern Federal University, 7 Zorge St., Rostov-on-Don 344090, Russia
Dmitriy Mauer
Faculty of Chemistry, Southern Federal University, 7 Zorge St., Rostov-on-Don 344090, Russia
Elizabeth Moguchikh
Faculty of Chemistry, Southern Federal University, 7 Zorge St., Rostov-on-Don 344090, Russia
Anna Gavrilova
Faculty of Chemistry, Southern Federal University, 7 Zorge St., Rostov-on-Don 344090, Russia
Alina Nevelskaya
Faculty of Chemistry, Southern Federal University, 7 Zorge St., Rostov-on-Don 344090, Russia
Egor Beskopylny
Faculty of Chemistry, Southern Federal University, 7 Zorge St., Rostov-on-Don 344090, Russia
Ilya Pankov
Research Institute of Physical Organic Chemistry, Southern Federal University, 194/2 Stachki St., Rostov-on-Don 344090, Russia
Aleksey Nikulin
Federal Research Center “The Southern Scientific Center of the Russian Academy of Sciences” (SSC RAS), Federal State Budgetary Institution of Science, 41 Chekhova St., Rostov-on-Don 344006, Russia
Anastasia Alekseenko
Faculty of Chemistry, Southern Federal University, 7 Zorge St., Rostov-on-Don 344090, Russia
The presented study is concerned with a new multi-step method to synthesize PtCo/C materials based on composite CoxOy/C that combines the advantages of different liquid-phase synthesis methods. Based on the results of studying the materials at each stage of synthesis with the TG, XRD, TEM, SEI, TXRF, CV and LSV methods, a detailed overview of the sequential changes in catalyst composition and structure at each stage of the synthesis is presented. The PtCo/C catalyst synthesized with the multi-step method is characterized by a uniform distribution of bimetallic nanoparticles of about 3 nm in size over the surface of the support, which result in its high ESA and ORR activity. The activity study for the synthesized PtCo/C catalyst in an MEA showed better current–voltage characteristics and a higher maximum specific power compared with an MEA based on a commercial Pt/C catalyst. Therefore, the results of the presented study demonstrate high prospects for the developed approach to the multi-step synthesis of PtM/C catalysts, which may enhance the characteristics of proton-exchange membrane fuel cells (PEMFCs).
