Fullerene-Based Materials as Catalysts for Fuel Cells

Abstract

Nano-structured catalyst degradation in state-of-the-art polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cells (PEMFCs) is one of the main shortcomings that limit the large-scale development and commercialization of this technology. During normal operating conditions of the fuel cell, the PEMFC lifetime tends to be limited by coarsening of the cathode's Pt-based catalyst and by corrosion of the cathode's carbon black support. Because of their chemical properties, metallofullerenes, such as C59Pt or PtC60, may be more electrochemically stable than the Pt/C mixture. In this paper we investigate, by theoretical methods, the stability of oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) adsorbates on these metallofullerenes.