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Title: Mesoporous textured Fe-N-C electrocatalysts as highly efficient cathodes for proton exchange membrane fuel cells

Journal Article · · Journal of Power Sources
ORCiD logo [1]; ORCiD logo [1];  [2];  [2]; ORCiD logo [1]; ORCiD logo [1];  [1]; ORCiD logo [1]; ORCiD logo [1]; ORCiD logo [3]; ORCiD logo [3]; ORCiD logo [3];  [4];  [4];  [5]; ORCiD logo [6];  [1]
  1. University of Tartu (Estonia)
  2. Pajarito Powder LLC, Albuquerque, NM (United States)
  3. Oak Ridge National Lab. (ORNL), Oak Ridge, TN (United States)
  4. National Renewable Energy Lab. (NREL), Golden, CO (United States)
  5. IRD Fuel Cells LLC, Albuquerque, NM (United States)
  6. Univ. of Hawaii at Manoa, Honolulu, HI (United States)

A new platinum group metal (PGM)-free proton exchange membrane fuel cell (PEMFC) cathode catalyst materials, synthesized using the VariPore™ method by Pajarito Powder, LLC, are characterized for their structure and activity. The physico-chemical analysis of the iron-nitrogen-carbon (Fe-N-C) electrocatalysts show mesoporous carbon material effectively doped with iron and nitrogen. The materials have an average pore size of 7–8 nm and high specific surface area. The Fe-N-C catalysts exhibit good oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) activity in 0.5 M H2SO4 electrolyte with high half-wave potential and sustainable electrochemical stability over 10,000 repeated potential cycles with insignificant losses in their activities. As cathode catalysts in a PEMFC, the Fe-N-C materials deliver remarkably good fuel cell performance at low overpotential approaching that of the commercial Pt catalyst. The high ORR electrocatalytic activity of these Fe-N-C catalysts is credited to the synergy between nitrogen-moieties, specifically pyrrolic-N, pyridinic-N, and graphitic-N, and iron in addition to the high mesoporosity that facilitate an effective reaction path in boosting the electrocatalytic activity and stability.

Research Organization:
Oak Ridge National Lab. (ORNL), Oak Ridge, TN (United States)
Sponsoring Organization:
USDOE Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE); Estonian Research Council; European Regional Development Fund; US Department of the Navy, Office of Naval Research (ONR)
Grant/Contract Number:
AC05-00OR22725; PRG723; PRG4; MOBJD671; TK141; EE0008419; N00014-18-1-2127
OSTI ID:
1833949
Journal Information:
Journal of Power Sources, Vol. 520; ISSN 0378-7753
Publisher:
ElsevierCopyright Statement
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English

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