Pt-Free Cathode Catalyst Performance in H2/O2 Anion-Exchange Membrane Fuel Cells (AMFCs)

Abstract

H2/O2 AMFCs enable the use of Platinum Group Metal (PGM) free Membrane Electrode Assemblies (MEAs), especially for the Oxygen Reduction Reaction (ORR). A promising catalysts for the ORR (Acta's "K14"), has been developed and tested using Rotating Disk Electrode (RDE) analysis, showing promising performance. In this paper we characterize current Anion-Exchange Membranes (AMs), show the fuel cell activity of AM-based MEAs prepared with K14 ORR catalyst, and compare their performance with the kinetic and ohmic limits projected from the membrane and catalyst properties. The data and projections show promising results for this technology.