Unravelling the Impact of the Ionomer on the Degradation Mechanisms in Carbon-Supported Platinum Electrocatalysts: On the Path Toward Durable Proton Exchange Membrane Fuel Cells
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Le résumé fourni par la source
The performance and durability of carbon-supported platinum (Pt/C) electrocatalysts for the oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) in proton exchange membrane fuel cells (PEMFC) are strongly influenced by the characteristics of the carbon support, resulting in different ionomer-catalyst interactions. Our study examines how the ionomer affects the degradation of three Pt/C catalysts with distinct carbon support porosity: nonporous Vulcan, microporous Ketjenblack, and mesoporous Hollow Graphitic Spheres. The application of a voltage cycling accelerated stress test (AST) in aqueous electrolyte half-cell configurations operated at 80 °C allows us to investigate the effect on the degradation at relevant operating conditions by comparing ionomer-free catalyst films with films containing an application-relevant ionomer content. We correlate electrochemically active surface area (ECSA) losses with ex-situ diagnostic methods, including identical location and ex-situ scanning transmission electron microscopy vs secondary electron microscopy (STEM/SE-STEM) and determination of leached platinum via inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS). Our results reveal the intricate interplay between carbon-support porosity and ionomer effects on the degradation mechanisms: the nonporous carbon-supported catalyst shows enhanced ECSA loss and altered overall particle coarsening upon ionomer incorporation, which we attribute to extensive adsorption of highly acidic sulfonate groups of the ionomer on the exposed Pt nanoparticles. For the porous carbon-supported catalysts, we observe different effects depending on the location of the particles: (i) enhanced dissolution of particles outside of pores (increased SO 3 – adsorption) and (ii) protection of particles inside of pores (restricted SO 3 – adsorption) from dissolution. However, despite this significant change in the pathway and overall attenuated particle growth, the measured ECSA losses were comparable. We ultimately confirm the practical relevance of our results with complementary ASTs conducted in membrane electrode assembly (MEA) configurations. Our findings offer valuable guidance for the design of Pt/C catalysts and ionomers for optimized catalyst layers, advancing the development of more robust PEMFC technologies.
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Le contrôle bibliographique ouvert
DOI retrouvé dans Crossref DOI retrouvé ; titre concordant.
- Titre Crossref
- Unravelling the Impact of the Ionomer on the Degradation Mechanisms in Carbon-Supported Platinum Electrocatalysts: On the Path Toward Durable Proton Exchange Membrane Fuel Cells
- Date Crossref
- 07/05/2025
- Éditeur
- American Chemical Society (ACS)
- Type
- journal-article
Ce recoupement confirme des métadonnées liées au DOI. Il ne confirme ni la méthode ni les conclusions de l’étude, et il ne compte pas comme une seconde source scientifique indépendante.
Où se fait cette recherche
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Technische Universität Darmstadt pays non établi dans la noticeUniversité ou école supérieure
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Technical University of Munich pays non établi dans la noticeUniversité ou école supérieure
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Ernst Ruska Centre pays non établi dans la noticeStructure de recherche
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Helmholtz Institute Erlangen-Nürnberg pays non établi dans la noticeOrganisme public
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Max-Planck-Institut für Kohlenforschung pays non établi dans la noticeStructure de recherche
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Technical University of Darmstadt pays non établi dans la noticeUniversité ou école supérieure
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Forschungszentrum Juelich GmbH Ernst-Ruska Centre (ER-C-1) pays non établi dans la noticeEntreprise
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Helmholtz Institute Erlangen-Nuremberg for Renewable Energy pays non établi dans la noticeStructure de recherche
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Max-Planck-Institute for Coal Research pays non établi dans la noticeStructure de recherche
Technische Universität Darmstadt, Technical University of Munich et Ernst Ruska Centre, avec 6 autres affiliations.
Une affiliation ne permet pas de déduire la nationalité d’un auteur.