Alternative Support Material to Platinum Catalyst Used for Oxygen Reduction Reaction: Nonporous Carbon

Abstract

In this study, unlike the porous carbon as a conventional catalyst support material in fuel cells, nonporous carbon was synthesized in the presence of different acid concentrations (0.2 M-1 M) and investigated as a support material for platinum (Pt) catalysts in the oxygen reduction reaction (ORR). Since the micropore volume of the synthesized carbons is negligible, the detected surface areas with Brunauer-Emmett-Teller (BET) method were in the range of 19-23 m2/g. Among the support materials, the carbon-supported Pt catalyst synthesized in the presence of 1 M acid was investigated electrochemically in terms of hydrogen oxidation (HOR) and ORR half-cell reactions in the three-electrode system. The Pt catalyst supported with nonporous carbon, synthesized using 1 M acid, reached the maximum limiting current value of -0.25 mA/cm2 (@2500 rpm) at ORR hydrodynamic curves. Low internal and charge transfer resistances of the same catalyst in electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) analysis are attributable to its nonporous structure.