Nickel–copper supported on a carbon black hydrogen oxidation catalyst integrated into an anion-exchange membrane fuel cell
Abstract
This work introduces the first practical platinum group metal-free (PGM-free) electrocatalyst for hydrogen oxidation reaction (HOR) in alkaline membrane fuel cells (AMFC), based on nickel-rich Ni95Cu5-alloy nanoparticles supported on Ketjenblack (KB) family carbon blacks. The catalyst synthesis is scalable and results in expected true alloy of NiCu, which is thoroughly characterized by XRD, microscopy and XPS. Reactivity of the catalyst towards HOR is studied by cyclic voltammetry and explained in view of its composition and structure. This catalyst showed highest specific activity compared to previously reported NiCu electrocatalysts and was successfully integrated into an AMFC membrane electrode assembly (MEA) using commercially available state-of-the-art membrane and ionomer. Single MEA fuel cell tests have demonstrated power density of 350 mWcm-2 at 80°C, which sets a technical record for a PGM-free anode in realistic operating conditions. The MEA with NiCu/KB anode catalysts layer were evaluated by in situ nano- and operando micro-X-ray computed tomography (CT) and results suggest that the nickel state in NiCu is hydrophobic in nature, where the NiCu surface may be isostructural with β-Ni(OH)2. The hydrophobic nature of electrocatalyst allows for improved water distribution in MEA and overall fuel cell as observed with operando micro X-ray CT.
- Authors:
-
- Univ. of New Mexico, Albuquerque, NM (United States)
- Tufts Univ., Medford, MA (United States)
- Argonne National Lab. (ANL), Argonne, IL (United States). Advanced Photon Source (APS)
- Publication Date:
- Research Org.:
- Argonne National Lab. (ANL), Argonne, IL (United States)
- Sponsoring Org.:
- USDOE Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE); USDOE Office of Science (SC), Basic Energy Sciences (BES)
- OSTI Identifier:
- 1508978
- Alternate Identifier(s):
- OSTI ID: 1463749
- Grant/Contract Number:
- AC02-06CH11357; EE0006962
- Resource Type:
- Accepted Manuscript
- Journal Name:
- Sustainable Energy & Fuels
- Additional Journal Information:
- Journal Volume: 2; Journal Issue: 10; Journal ID: ISSN 2398-4902
- Publisher:
- Royal Society of Chemistry
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
- Subject:
- 25 ENERGY STORAGE
Citation Formats
Roy, Aaron, Talarposhti, Morteza R., Normile, Stanley J., Zenyuk, Iryna V., De Andrade, Vincent, Artyushkova, Kateryna, Serov, Alexey, and Atanassov, Plamen. Nickel–copper supported on a carbon black hydrogen oxidation catalyst integrated into an anion-exchange membrane fuel cell. United States: N. p., 2018.
Web. doi:10.1039/c8se00261d.
Roy, Aaron, Talarposhti, Morteza R., Normile, Stanley J., Zenyuk, Iryna V., De Andrade, Vincent, Artyushkova, Kateryna, Serov, Alexey, & Atanassov, Plamen. Nickel–copper supported on a carbon black hydrogen oxidation catalyst integrated into an anion-exchange membrane fuel cell. United States. https://doi.org/10.1039/c8se00261d
Roy, Aaron, Talarposhti, Morteza R., Normile, Stanley J., Zenyuk, Iryna V., De Andrade, Vincent, Artyushkova, Kateryna, Serov, Alexey, and Atanassov, Plamen. Fri .
"Nickel–copper supported on a carbon black hydrogen oxidation catalyst integrated into an anion-exchange membrane fuel cell". United States. https://doi.org/10.1039/c8se00261d. https://www.osti.gov/servlets/purl/1508978.
@article{osti_1508978,
title = {Nickel–copper supported on a carbon black hydrogen oxidation catalyst integrated into an anion-exchange membrane fuel cell},
author = {Roy, Aaron and Talarposhti, Morteza R. and Normile, Stanley J. and Zenyuk, Iryna V. and De Andrade, Vincent and Artyushkova, Kateryna and Serov, Alexey and Atanassov, Plamen},
abstractNote = {This work introduces the first practical platinum group metal-free (PGM-free) electrocatalyst for hydrogen oxidation reaction (HOR) in alkaline membrane fuel cells (AMFC), based on nickel-rich Ni95Cu5-alloy nanoparticles supported on Ketjenblack (KB) family carbon blacks. The catalyst synthesis is scalable and results in expected true alloy of NiCu, which is thoroughly characterized by XRD, microscopy and XPS. Reactivity of the catalyst towards HOR is studied by cyclic voltammetry and explained in view of its composition and structure. This catalyst showed highest specific activity compared to previously reported NiCu electrocatalysts and was successfully integrated into an AMFC membrane electrode assembly (MEA) using commercially available state-of-the-art membrane and ionomer. Single MEA fuel cell tests have demonstrated power density of 350 mWcm-2 at 80°C, which sets a technical record for a PGM-free anode in realistic operating conditions. The MEA with NiCu/KB anode catalysts layer were evaluated by in situ nano- and operando micro-X-ray computed tomography (CT) and results suggest that the nickel state in NiCu is hydrophobic in nature, where the NiCu surface may be isostructural with β-Ni(OH)2. The hydrophobic nature of electrocatalyst allows for improved water distribution in MEA and overall fuel cell as observed with operando micro X-ray CT.},
doi = {10.1039/c8se00261d},
journal = {Sustainable Energy & Fuels},
number = 10,
volume = 2,
place = {United States},
year = {2018},
month = {7}
}
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