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High-temperature annealing improves Pt utilization of proton exchange membrane fuel cell cathode catalysts

高温退火提升质子交换膜燃料电池阴极催化剂的铂 利用率

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  • Special Topic: Advanced Energy Catalytic Materials
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Abstract

High-temperature annealing is widely recognized as an effective way to improve the durability of Pt/C cathode catalysts used in proton exchange membrane fuel cells (PEMFCs), yet systematic studies on its effects on PEMFC performance are still lacking. Herein, we explore the effect of high-temperature annealing on the PEMFC performance, based on a thorough comparative analysis of Pt/C catalysts annealed at temperatures ranging from 500–900°C. Our results reveal that high-temperature annealing not only enhances the catalyst durability but also substantially increases Pt utilization, which in turn drives the increase in mass activity and the enhancement of low-current-density performance. Based on an array of electrochemical and physical characterization results, we infer that the increased utilization of Pt might stem from nanoparticle migration induced by high-temperature annealing, leading to closer proximity between Pt nanoparticles and ionomers. This reduced distance potentially enhances the accessibility of protons to the Pt nanoparticles, thereby improving the Pt utilization.

摘要

高温退火被认为是提升质子交换膜燃料电池中铂碳阴极催化剂 耐久性的有效方法, 但关于其对燃料电池性能的影响尚缺乏研究报道. 本文通过对不同温度制备的铂碳催化剂进行详细对比分析, 探讨了高 温退火对燃料电池性能的影响. 结果表明, 高温退火不仅增强了催化剂 的耐久性, 还显著提升了铂的利用率, 进而提高了其质量活性和低电流 密度性能. 基于一系列电化学和物理表征结果, 我们推测铂利用率的提 升源于高温退火导致的铂纳米颗粒迁移行为, 进而缩短了铂纳米颗粒 与离子聚的间距. 而较短的间距有利于提高质子对铂纳米颗粒的可及 性, 最终实现了铂纳米颗粒利用率的提升.

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Acknowledgements

We acknowledge the funding support from the National Natural Science Foundation of China (22325903, 22221003, and 22071225), the National Key Research and Development Program of China (2018YFA0702001), the Plan for Anhui Major Provincial Science & Technology Project (202203a0520013 and 2021d05050006), and the USTC Research Funds of the Double First-Class Initiative (YD2060002032). This work was partially carried out at the USTC Center for Micro and Nanoscale Research and Fabrication.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Hefei National Research Center for Physical Sciences at the Microscale, Department of Chemistry, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, 230026, China

    Junjie Li  (李俊杰), Zirui Li  (李子睿), Shuai Li  (李帅), Cong Xu  (徐聪), Ang Li  (李昂), Lei Tong  (童磊) & Haiwei Liang  (梁海伟)

  2. Nano Science and Technology Institute, University of Science and Technology of China, Suzhou, 215123, China

    Junjie Li  (李俊杰) & Ang Li  (李昂)

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  1. Junjie Li  (李俊杰)
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  2. Zirui Li  (李子睿)
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  3. Shuai Li  (李帅)
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  4. Cong Xu  (徐聪)
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  5. Ang Li  (李昂)
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  6. Lei Tong  (童磊)
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  7. Haiwei Liang  (梁海伟)
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Contributions

Author contributions Tong L and Liang H conceived and designed the experiments. Li J prepared the catalysts. Li J and Li Z conducted the RDE and PEMFCs tests. Xu C, Li S, and Li A provided the technical support for the MEAs diagnostics. Tong L, Liang H and Li J co-wrote the manuscript. All authors contributed to the general discussion.

Corresponding authors

Correspondence to Lei Tong  (童磊) or Haiwei Liang  (梁海伟).

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Conflict of interest The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.

Additional information

Supplementary information Experimental details and supporting data are available in the online version of the paper.

Junjie Li is presently a Master student at the University of Science and Technology of China (USTC). His research interest is the development of advanced Pt-based fuel cell cathode catalysts.

Lei Tong received his PhD degree from USTC in 2020, mentored by Prof. Haiwei Liang. Currently, he is an associate research fellow at USTC working with Prof. Haiwei Liang. His research interest is Pt-based cathode catalysts for fuel cell applications.

Haiwei Liang received his PhD degree from USTC in 2011, mentored by Prof. Shuhong Yu. His postdoctoral work was at Max Planck Institute for Polymer Research, collaborating with Profs. Klaus Müllen and Xinliang Feng. In 2016, he became a full professor at USTC. His research specializes in developing carbon-supported Pt and Pt alloy catalysts for fuel cells.

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Li, J., Li, Z., Li, S. et al. High-temperature annealing improves Pt utilization of proton exchange membrane fuel cell cathode catalysts. Sci. China Mater. (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s40843-024-2871-1

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s40843-024-2871-1

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