Carbonaceous nanowire supports for polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cells

Journal Article · 02 December 2015 · Journal of the Electrochemical Society

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1149/2.0741602jes · OSTI ID:1267064

Garzon, Fernando H. ^[1]; Wilson, Mahlon S. ^[2]; Banham, Dustin ^[3]; Ye, Siyu ^[3]; More, Karren Leslie ^[4]

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1. Univ. of New Mexico, Albuquerque, NM (United States). Dept. of Chemical and Biological Engineering
2. Los Alamos National Lab. (LANL), Los Alamos, NM (United States)
3. Ballard Power Systems, Burnaby, BC (Canada)
4. Oak Ridge National Lab. (ORNL), Oak Ridge, TN (United States). Center for Nanophase Materials Sciences

Here, carbohydrate-dye combinations were used to form ionically-linked soft templates for the formation of polypyrrole nanowire networks. High yields of nanostructured products were obtained using small amounts of low-cost carbohydrate and dye template materials, the majority of which remained encapsulated within the nanowires. Varying the concentration and the two-part ratio of the templates influenced the length and diameter of the nanofiber segments within the nanowire network. Pyrolysis of the nanowires yielded carbonaceous fibers containing nitrogen heteroatoms, as well as convoluted graphitic domains, well suited for supporting Pt nanoparticles. The resulting high density of nucleation sites enabled the formation of well dispersed, smaller Pt particles compared to commercial catalysts, despite significantly higher support surface loadings.

• Research Organization: Los Alamos National Lab. (LANL), Los Alamos, NM (United States); Oak Ridge National Lab. (ORNL), Oak Ridge, TN (United States); Univ. of New Mexico, Albuquerque, NM (United States)
• Sponsoring Organization: USDOE Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE), Fuel Cell Technologies Program (EE-3F)
• Contributing Organization: Ballard Power Systems, Burnaby, BC (Canada)
• Grant/Contract Number: AC05-00OR22725; AC52-06NA25396
• OSTI ID: 1267064
• Report Number(s): LA-UR-17-21792
• Journal Information: Journal of the Electrochemical Society, Journal Name: Journal of the Electrochemical Society Journal Issue: 2 Vol. 163; ISSN 0013-4651
• Publisher: The Electrochemical SocietyCopyright Statement
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English