Interstitial compounds as fuel cell catalysts: their preparative techniques and electrochemical testing

Technical Report · Thu Jan 01 04:00:00 EST 1970

OSTI ID:7310934

Akhtar, S; Grein, C T; Bienstock, D

Interstitial compounds of iron, cobalt, and nickel, and their binary and ternary mixtures with silver, gold, palladium, and platinum were prepared and tested as fuel cell catalysts. The first step in the preparation of the interstitial compounds consisted of preparing finely divided metals. This was done either by the Raney method or by reduction of precipitated hydroxides of the metals. The finely divided reduced metals were then treated with carbon- and/or nitrogen-containing gases to prepare their carbides, nitrides, and nitrocarbides. The materials were tested for cathodic activity towards O/sub 2/ and for anodic activity towards H/sub 2/, C/sub 3/H/sub 8/, NH/sub 3/, CO, and N/sub 2/H/sub 4/ in acid and alkaline electrolytes at 25/sup 0/ to 90/sup 0/C in half-cell assemblies. Samples of carbided and nitrocarbided 1Ni-1Ag-1Au, and 1Ni-3Au were about one fifth as active as Pt-black in the reduction of O/sub 2/ in 35 percent KOH solution, whereas the activities of several interstitial preparations exceeded the activity of Pt-black in the reduction of O/sub 2/ in 12M KOH containing N/sub 2/H/sub 4/. Nitrocarbides of chi-Fe/sub 2/C, 3Ni-1Au, and 1Ni-3Au were effective catalysts for oxidizing N/sub 2/H/sub 4/ in liquid NH/sub 3/ containing NH/sub 4/SCN. Corrosion of the catalysts by electrolytes was severe in many cases.

• Research Organization: Bureau of Mines, Washington, DC (USA)
• OSTI ID: 7310934
• Report Number(s): BM-BULL-652
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

30 DIRECT ENERGY CONVERSION
300503* -- Fuel Cells-- Materials
Components
& Auxiliaries
36 MATERIALS SCIENCE
360201 -- Ceramics
Cermets
& Refractories-- Preparation & Fabrication
360204 -- Ceramics
Cermets
& Refractories-- Physical Properties
ALKANES
AMMONIA FUEL CELLS
BORIDES
BORON COMPOUNDS
CARBIDES
CARBON COMPOUNDS
CARBONITRIDES
CATALYSTS
CATALYTIC EFFECTS
CHEMICAL PREPARATION
CHEMICAL REACTIONS
CHEMISTRY
COBALT COMPOUNDS
CORROSION
CRYSTAL DEFECTS
CRYSTAL STRUCTURE
DIRECT ENERGY CONVERTERS
DISPERSIONS
ELECTROCHEMICAL CELLS
ELECTROCHEMISTRY
ELEMENTS
FUEL CELLS
GOLD
HYDRAZINE FUEL CELLS
HYDROCARBON FUEL CELLS
HYDROCARBONS
HYDROGEN FUEL CELLS
INTERSTITIALS
IRON COMPOUNDS
METALS
MIXTURES
NICKEL COMPOUNDS
NITRIDES
NITROGEN CARBIDES
NITROGEN COMPOUNDS
ORGANIC COMPOUNDS
PALLADIUM
PLATINUM
PLATINUM METALS
PNICTIDES
POINT DEFECTS
PROPANE
REFRACTORIES
SILVER
SYNTHESIS
TRANSITION ELEMENT COMPOUNDS
TRANSITION ELEMENTS