Nanocomposites and nanomaterials

Pt-based catalysts: synthesis, structure, electrochemical activity and durability towards oxygen reduction reactions
Lobko Y.V., Yakovlev Y.V., Darabut A.M., Veltruská K., Gamón Rodríguez M., Kúš P., Nováková J., Matolínová I., Matolín V.
Department of Surface and Plasma Science, Charles University. V Holešovičkách 2,180 00, Prague 8, Czech Republic. 
E-mail: yevheniia.lobko@mff.cuni.cz

Nowadays, finding the more active catalysts for oxygen reduction reaction is one of the most important challenges of the hydrogen fuel cells industry. To date, platinum-based catalysts are the most active electrocatalyst in fuel cells. Though being uncompetitive in many regards there are still several challenges in the catalyst’s development. The first one is the increase of the catalyst’s electrochemical activity by maximizing the active surface area of the catalysts. Another one is an enhancement of the durability of the catalyst by finding and creating the electrochemically stable supports [1].
To increase the durability of the support such approaches as doping of the carbon-based materials with different atoms and carbonization of the N-doped polymers are employed [2].
Here, the carbon-based supports were decorated with platinum nanoparticles by hydrothermal method. The structure, electrochemical activity and durability of the catalysts nanoparticles were analyzed. The size of the platinum nanoparticles depends on the support structure and is in the range from 3 to 10 nm. For some supports the durability test demonstrates the partial degradation of the Pt catalyst during the electrochemical reaction. The platinum/polypyrrole nanotubes supported nanoparticles demonstrate the highest activity and support durability during a long continuous electrochemical reaction at the conditions of accelerated stress test. It is worth noting that the same parameters for undoped carbon materials are several times lower.

1. Karuppanan K.K., Panthalingal M. K., Biji P. Nanoscale, Catalyst Support Materials for Proton-Exchange Membrane Fuel Cells // Handbook of Nanomaterials for Industrial Applications: Micro and Nano Technologies, Chapter 26. – 2018.-P. 468-495.
2. Pylypenko S., Borisevich A., More K.L. et al. Nitrogen: unraveling the secret to stable carbon-supported Pt-alloy electrocatalysts. // Energy Environ. Sci. -2013.- 6.-P. 2957.