Benzene Adsorption - A Significant Inhibitor for the Hydrogen Oxidation Reaction in Alkaline Conditions

Gonzales, Ivana; Chung, Hoon Taek; Kim, Yu Seung

doi:10.1021/acs.jpclett.7b02228

Benzene Adsorption - A Significant Inhibitor for the Hydrogen Oxidation Reaction in Alkaline Conditions

Journal Article · Mon Sep 25 00:00:00 EDT 2017 · Journal of Physical Chemistry Letters

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.jpclett.7b02228· OSTI ID:1400129

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Univ. of New Mexico, Albuquerque, NM (United States). Dept. of Chemical and Biological Engineering; Los Alamos National Lab. (LANL), Los Alamos, NM (United States)
Los Alamos National Lab. (LANL), Los Alamos, NM (United States)

Slow hydrogen oxidation reaction (HOR) kinetics on Pt under alkaline conditions is a significant technical barrier for the development of high-performance hydroxide exchange membrane fuel cells. Here we report that benzene adsorption on Pt is a major factor responsible for the sluggish HOR. Furthermore, we demonstrate that bimetallic catalysts, such as PtMo/C, PtNi/C, and PtRu/C, can reduce the adsorption of benzene and thereby improve HOR activity. In particular, the HOR voltammogram of PtRu/C in 0.1 M benzyl ammonium showed minimal benzene adsorption. Density functional theory calculations indicate that the adsorption of benzyl ammonium on the bimetallic PtRu is endergonic for all four possible orientations of the cation, which explains the significantly better HOR activity observed for the bimetallic catalysts. In conclusion, the new HOR inhibition mechanism described here provides insights for the design of future polymer electrolytes and electrocatalysts for better-performing polymer membrane-based fuel cells.

View Accepted Manuscript (DOE)

Research Organization:: Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL)

Sponsoring Organization:: USDOE Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE). Fuel Cell Technologies Program (EE-3F)

Grant/Contract Number:: AC52-06NA25396

OSTI ID:: 1400129

Report Number(s):: LA-UR-17-28842

Journal Information:: Journal of Physical Chemistry Letters, Journal Name: Journal of Physical Chemistry Letters Journal Issue: 19 Vol. 8; ISSN 1948-7185

Publisher:: American Chemical SocietyCopyright Statement

Country of Publication:: United States

Language:: English

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Rational design of polyaromatic ionomers for alkaline membrane fuel cells with >1 W cm ⁻² power density Maurya, Sandip; Noh, Sangtaik; Matanovic, Ivana Energy & Environmental Science, Vol. 11, Issue 11 https://doi.org/10.1039/c8ee02192a	journal	January 2018
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