Stabilizing platinum in phosphoric-acid fuel cells. Third quarterly report, July-September 1981

Technical Report · Thu Oct 01 04:00:00 EDT 1981

OSTI ID:5977546

Remick, R J

The objective of this project is to develop a carbon substrate for use in fabricating phosphoric acid fuel cell cathodes which will stabilize the platinum catalyst in a high-surface-area condition by retarding the sintering of small platinum crystallites. The experimental approach is to modify the carbon by catalytic oxidation. During the third quarter, 1000-hour operational tests were completed. The results of these tests confirm that the rate of platinum surface area loss observed on catalytically oxidized supports is less than that observed with unmodified supports of the same starting material. Fuel cell electrodes fabricated from Vulcan XC-72R which has been modified by catalytic oxidation in a nitric oxide atmosphere shows considerable promise with respect to both low platinum sintering rates and high activity for the reduction of oxygen in the phosphoric acid environment.

• Research Organization: National Aeronautics and Space Administration, Cleveland, OH (USA). Lewis Research Center; Institute of Gas Technology, Chicago, IL (USA)
• DOE Contract Number: AI01-80ET17088
• OSTI ID: 5977546
• Report Number(s): DOE/NASA/0208-3; NASA-CR-165483; ON: DE82003981
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

30 DIRECT ENERGY CONVERSION
300503* -- Fuel Cells-- Materials
Components
& Auxiliaries
ACID ELECTROLYTE FUEL CELLS
CARBON
CATALYSTS
CATHODES
CHEMICAL REACTIONS
DIRECT ENERGY CONVERTERS
ELECTROCATALYSTS
ELECTROCHEMICAL CELLS
ELECTRODES
ELEMENTS
FABRICATION
FUEL CELLS
GRAPHITE
HYDROGEN COMPOUNDS
INORGANIC ACIDS
METALS
NONMETALS
OXYGEN
PERFORMANCE TESTING
PHOSPHORIC ACID
PLATINUM
PLATINUM METALS
REDUCTION
SINTERING
STABILIZATION
SUBSTRATES
TESTING
TRANSITION ELEMENTS