A New Plurimetal Carbon Nitride Electrocatalyst for PEMFCs Based on Pd, Au, and Fe

Abstract

This report describes the preparation of a new plurimetal carbon nitride electrocatalyst based on Pd, Au and Fe and how its chemical composition, morphology and electrochemical performance are affected by a series of post-synthesis treatments involving leaching with mineral acids and annealing steps. Cyclic voltammetry with the thin-film rotating ring-disk electrode (CV-TF-RRDE method) is used to study the fundamental ORR electrochemistry and selectivity of the resulting materials. The latter are also studied under operative conditions at the cathode of single fuel cells. The pristine electrocatalyst shows a very promising performance in the ORR. Furthermore, the different post-synthesis treatments allow to identify the role of the various metal species in the active site. Finally, the measurements carried out in a single cell lead to the identification of the main morphological features responsible for obtaining an efficient ORR electrocatalyst.