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Investigation of acid-resistant electrocatalysts for fuel cells

Technical Report ·
OSTI ID:7293879
Methods used in the synthesis of electrocatalysts belonging to the class of polymeric metal-phthalocyanines and the procedure of testing electrocatalytic properties of these polymers are reported. Various properties of polymeric phthalocyanines (such as conductivity, catalase effect, and stability in acid) and the electrocatalytic activity for the reduction of oxygen obtained in sulfuric acid are described. A high catalytic activity with respect to the oxygen reduction was obtained in 6 n H/sub 2/SO/sub 4/ with carbon-Teflon electrodes containing polymeric iron-phthalocyanine compounds. The current density was 20 to 80 mA/sq cm for a potential of 850 to 650 mV (standard hydrogen electrode) at room temperature. The potentials of the electrodes with polymeric phthalocyanine complexes of iron (and cobalt) as catalysts show only a relatively small decrease with time which is in the order of less than 100 mV at a load of 20 mA/sq cm during 1,000 hr. The high electrocatalytic activity of Fe-polyphthalocyanines is explained using a model.
Research Organization:
Staatliches Forschungsinstitut fuer Geochemie, Bamberg (Germany, F.R.)
OSTI ID:
7293879
Report Number(s):
N-76-24724; BMVG-FBWT-75-6
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English