Excellent Performances of Modified RuOs Bimetallic Materials as Anode Catalysts for Polymer Electrolyte Membrane Fuel Cells

초록

Multicomponent catalysts such as RuOs/C binary electrocatalysts and Pt-modified RuOs/C (Pt-RuOs/C) ternary electrocatalysts were prepared using the sodium borohydride reduction method for use as anode materials in proton exchange membrane fuel cells (PEMFCs). The electrocatalyst particles, of size 3-4 nm, were uniformly dispersed on carbon supports and showed a similar performance to commercial Pt/C in single cell tests. In this study, we demonstrate the use of multicomponent materials with no Pt or a very low level of Pt as potential anode catalysts in an actual PEMFC device. The polarization test results showed that, when used in membrane-electrode assemblies (MEAs) within a PEMFC, the RuOs/C binary electrocatalysts exhibited a significantly enhanced electrochemical performance for hydrogen oxidation. In addition, Pt-RuOs/C revealed a similar performance to that of commercial Pt/C; the new electrocatalyst, in particular, showed excellent Pt mass activity. These results indicate that the RuOs/C catalyst is potentially an alternative anode electrocatalyst for PEMFCs.

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