Platinum Free Catalysts for Hydrogen Oxidation Reaction (HOR) in Alkaline Fuel Cells

Investigation of the hydrogen oxidation reaction (HOR) in alkaline media has been pursued in the past few years side by side with the development of alkaline membrane fuel cells (AMFCs), also called anion exchange membrane fuel cells (AEM-FCs). We present the synthesis, electrochemistry and AMFC test of a platinum-free HOR catalyst. The anode catalyst is prepared by the synthesis of a tri-component nano-composite of carbon/CNT/Carbon Mesh, palladium and an oxophilic metal (nickel), resulting in nano-dispersed, interconnected crystalline phases of Ni and Pd. When used in the anode of a hydrogen/air AMFC, such Pd/Ni catalyst exhibits high HOR activity, resulting in record high performance for a platinum-free AMFC.[1] The enhancement of HOR catalytic activity vs. that observed at Pd (or Ni) alone is revealed directly in rotating disc electrode tests of this Pd/Ni catalyst that shows a significant negative shift (200 mV) of the onset potential for the HOR current vs. the case of Pd.[2]

[1] M. Alesker, M. Page, M. Shviro, Y. Paska, G. Gershinsky, D.R. Dekel, D. Zitoun J. Power Sources

[2] I. Bakos, A. Paszternak, D. Zitoun Electrochimica Acta, 2015, 176, 1074-1082