Studying the Durability of Molybdenum Carbide Aerogel as an Electrocatalyst Support for Proton Exchange Membrane Fuel Cells

Journal Article · Thu May 01 00:00:00 EDT 2025 · ACS Catalysis

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1021/acscatal.5c00422· OSTI ID:2572179

Kozhushner, Alisa ^[1]; Lori, Oran ^[2]; Presman, Yan ^[1]; Cullen, David A. ^[3]; van Eijk, Lonneke ^[4]; Cohen Taguri, Gili ^[1]; Honig, Hilah C. ^[1]; Yabo, Yair ^[1]; Halachmi, Itai ^[1]; Elbaz, Lior ^[1]

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1. Bar-Ilan Univ., Ramat Gan (Israel)
2. Univ. of California, Irvine, CA (United States)
3. Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL), Oak Ridge, TN (United States). Center for Nanophase Materials Sciences (CNMS)
4. Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL), Oak Ridge, TN (United States). Center for Nanophase Materials Sciences (CNMS); Colorado School of Mines, Golden, CO (United States)

Carbon-supported platinum nanoparticles (Pt/C) are currently the state-of-the-art catalyst in proton exchange membrane fuel cells (PEMFCs). Unfortunately, the carbon support lacks the ability to stabilize the metal catalyst, as platinum tends to dissolve and agglomerate, significantly compromising the durability. Herein, we synthesized a ceramic material, molybdenum carbide aerogel (MCAG), and utilized it as a Pt support for PEMFCs, as an alternative for conventional carbon supports. N₂ adsorption and XRD analysis showed that the MCAG possesses a combination of high porosity and a well-defined ceramic crystalline structure. The Pt/MCAG system was studied for its electrocatalytic activity toward ORR in a half-cell and demonstrated satisfactory reaction kinetics and electrochemical active surface area, comparable to the commercial Pt/C. For durability examination, an accelerated stress test (AST) in a single cell was conducted with the Pt/MCAG catalyst at the cathode, following the U.S. DOE electrocatalyst AST protocol. Intermediate polarization curves and cyclic voltammograms were recorded over the course of the AST to monitor the aging process. The results indicated that the MCAG support exhibited superior durability in long-term fuel cell operation compared to a carbon support. The Pt/MCAG system demonstrated stable behavior during the progressive stages of the AST, retaining more than 50% of its initial performance by the end of the test, whereas carbon-supported Pt preserved only 30%.

• Research Organization: Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL), Oak Ridge, TN (United States)
• Sponsoring Organization: USDOE
• Grant/Contract Number: AC05-00OR22725
• OSTI ID: 2572179
• Journal Information: ACS Catalysis, Journal Name: ACS Catalysis Journal Issue: 10 Vol. 15; ISSN 2155-5435
• Publisher: American Chemical Society (ACS)
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

25 ENERGY STORAGE
accelerated stress test
aerogel
ceramic
durability
fuel cell
molybdenum carbide