Catalyst Electrodes with PtCu Nanowire Arrays In Situ Grown on Gas Diffusion Layers for Direct Formic Acid Fuel Cells

Abstract

The excellent performance and safety of direct formic acid fuel cells (DFAFCs) promote them as potential power sources for portable electronic devices. However, their real application is still highly challenging due to the poor power performance and high complexity in the fabrication of catalyst electrodes. In this work, we demonstrate a new gas diffusion electrode (GDE) with ultrathin PtCu alloy nanowire (NW) arrays in situ grown on the carbon paper gas diffusion layer surface. The growing process is achieved by a facile template- and surfactant-free self-growth assisted reduction method at room temperature. A finely controlled ion reduction process tunes the nucleation and crystal growth of Pt and Cu leading to the formation of alloy nanowires with an average diameter of about 4 nm. The GDE is directly used as the anode for DFAFCs. The results in the half-cell GDE measurement indicate that the introduction of Cu in PtCu NWs boosts the direct oxidation pathway for formic acid. The Pt 3 Cu 1 NW GDE shows a 2.4-fold higher power density compared to the Pt NW GDE in the membrane electrode assembly test in single cells.

Metal–organic framework-derived single atom catalysts for electrocatalytic reduction of carbon dioxide to C1 products

“…Despite the above proposed mechanisms, the development and improvement of advanced characterization methods, especially operando spectroscopic techniques, to investigate in more detail the mechanisms of eCO 2 RR, is still needed. As an essential energy-dense carrier for many industrial processes, 112,113 formic acid/formate HCOOH/HCOO − (the HCOO − exists at pH > 4.1, while HCOOH exists at pH< 4.1) can be sustainably produced from eCO 2 RR, [114][115][116] which is also a two-electron 117 Generally, Sn, 118 Pb, 117 Bi, 119 In, 120 Pd, 100 and other metal-free materials catalysts 121 possess a high selectivity towards HCOOH or HCOO − formation. In a similar way to the bulk catalysts, in some cases, SACs with above metal centers also showed HCOOH selectivity in eCO 2 RR.…”

Recent Advances in Anode Electrocatalysts for Direct Formic Acid Fuel Cell‐II‐Platinum‐Based Catalysts

“…Its CO tolerance is also 2.4 times higher than that of Pt NW GDE. [116] Asal et al electrodeposited Pt and Cu concurrently onto a GC substrate to create a favorable binary catalyst. The simultaneous co-electro-deposition of Pt and Cu in the catalyst allows the geometric functionality of the catalyst to resist toxic CO adsorption at the Pt surface, which limits the commercialization of DFAFCs.…”

“…, cathode: dry air with a flow rate of 300 mL • min À 1 . [116] (Reproduced with permission from reference 116, American Chemical Society, 2022) Type B shows a higher amount of Pt with elongated structure, whereas type A shows a spherical structure. Figure 8E shows the XRD pattern for Pt3Pb nanocrystals, Pt 3 PbÀ Pt (type A), and Pt 3 PbÀ Pt (type B).…”

“…(C) Inset shows CV in 0.5 M H2SO4 + 0.5 M HCOOH, with a sweep rate of 50 mV • s À 1 ((F) (a) Polarization and (b) power density curves of MEAs with the anode composed of Pt and PtCu NW GDEs with different Cu contents. Test conditions: MEA active area: 4 cm 2 , testing temperature: 75 °C, anode: 3 M formic acid at a flow rate of 1 mL • min À 1, cathode: dry air with a flow rate of 300 mL • min À 1 [116]. (Reproduced with permission from reference 116, American Chemical Society, 2022)…”

Synergistic effect of PtNi alloy loading on TiB2 to construct SMSI catalysing formic acid dehydrogenation

“…15 Owing to the high work function of Pt, incorporation of an alloying metal component results in a downshift in the Pt d-band center and an increased tolerance to adsorbed intermediates. 16 A recent paper 17 also demonstrates that Ni-containing catalyst promoters can be added to improve and stabilise the activity of noble metal catalysts. In addition to greatly reducing the amount of Pt noble metal required, alloying Pt with Ni can also promote the catalyst dehydrogenation of FA.…”