Abstract
The oxygen reduction reaction (GlossaryTerm
ORR
) is typically the rate-limiting reaction in electrocatalytic energy systems wherein the oxidizer is air, such as proton exchange membrane fuel cells (GlossaryTermPEMFC
s) or metal–air batteries. The effectiveness of these air-breathing electrochemical technologies hinges on the use of highly active electrocatalysts that can convert O2 to H2O (four-electron reaction) rather than the undesirable product H2O2 (two-electron reaction). The evaluation of new electrocatalysts in full cells is not practical due to competing contributions of mass transport and \(I^{2}R\) losses in the electrodes to measurements of kinetic activity. This chapter describes characterization of the electrocatalyst kinetic activity in electrochemical cells by rotating disk electrode (GlossaryTermRDE
) and rotating ring disk electrode (GlossaryTermRRDE
) methodologies and describes specifically how to apply the methodology to the porous electrodes used in energy systems. When the experimental procedures are executed properly, RDE and RRDE methodologies can be used to determine electrocatalyst ORR activities as a screening tool prior to full cell testing. Detailed methods are given for the accurate determination of the ORR of two standard materials: platinum/carbon in acid for PEMFC cathode catalysts, and MnO2 in base for metal–air batteries.Keywords
- Glassy Carbon
- Oxygen Reduction Reaction
- Disk Electrode
- Reversible Hydrogen Electrode
- Oxygen Reduction Reaction Activity
These keywords were added by machine and not by the authors. This process is experimental and the keywords may be updated as the learning algorithm improves.
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Abbreviations
- AFC:
-
alkaline fuel cell
- CE:
-
counter electrode
- CV:
-
cyclic voltammetry
- DHE:
-
dynamic hydrogen electrode
- ECSA:
-
electrochemical active surface area
- FC:
-
fuel cell
- GC:
-
glassy carbon
- HSC:
-
high surface area carbon
- Hupd :
-
hydrogen adsorption/desorption
- I/C:
-
ionomer-to-carbon ratio
- MA:
-
mass-specific activity
- MEA:
-
membrane–electrode assembly
- ORR:
-
oxygen reduction reaction
- PEMFC:
-
proton-exchange membrane fuel cell
- Pt ECSA:
-
Pt electrochemical surface area
- RDE:
-
rotating-disk electrode
- RE:
-
reference electrode
- RHE:
-
reversible hydrogen electrode
- rpm:
-
revolution per minute
- RRDE:
-
rotating ring-disc electrode
rotating ring-disc electrode
- SA:
-
area-specific activity
- SCE:
-
saturated calomel electrode
- VC:
-
vulcan carbon
- WE:
-
working electrode
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Garsany, Y., Swider-Lyons, K. (2017). Kinetic Activity in Electrochemical Cells. In: Breitkopf, C., Swider-Lyons, K. (eds) Springer Handbook of Electrochemical Energy. Springer Handbooks. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-662-46657-5_14
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