Effective Pt-based N-doped Carbon Nanosphere Electro-catalyst for the Application in PEMFC

With the growing energy crisis, people urgently need green energy sources to replace fossil ones. As a zero-emission clean energy source, the proton-exchange membrane fuel cell (PEMFC) has received growing attention from researchers due to its broad practical application. However, the large-scale application of PEMFC is currently impeded by their unsatisfying power output and high cost. PEMFC is composed of multiple components, among which the catalyst layer significantly affects the output power and cost of PEMFC. Drastically reducing the amount of platinum in the catalyst layer can bring great benefits to PEMFC, yet causing the large voltage loss associated with enlarged local oxygen molecule transport. Cutting down the platinum content in the catalyst layer can yield substantial cost savings for PEMFC. Developing an efficient catalyst possessing enhanced oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) catalytic performance is conducive to the commercialization of low-Pt proton exchange membrane fuel cells. In this work, a carbon catalyst substrate with a high nitrogen content was synthesized and Pt-Co alloy nanoparticles were deposited and annealed to form Pt-Co and Co-N-C dual active sites. The obtained Pt-Co/PDA-CS deliver an extraordinary performance, achieving a half-wave potential of 0.907 V and a mass activity of 0.375 A/mgPt.