Combined platinum/perovskite catalyst for an efficient nanostructured air electrode

Abstract

This work shows the stepwise improvement of air electrodes by the right combination of catalysts. In all electrodes carbon nanotubes serve as carbon support. The electrodes are produced by ultrasonic mixing of the carbon nanotubes and the catalysts. Their catalytic activity towards oxygen reduction in alkaline solution is evaluated by polarisation curves and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy. In a first step La 1−x Sr x MnO 3 perovskites are investigated, as well as La 0.65 Sr 0.35 MnO 3 and La 0.6 Sr 0.4 CoO 3 are compared. It is found that La 0.65 Sr 0.35 MnO 3 and La 0.6 Sr 0.4 CoO 3 have a positive impact on different parts of the current-potential curve. In a second step the influence of small amounts of platinum as an additional catalyst besides the perovskite is analyzed with the result that platinum lowers significantly the activation polarisation. Finally, the optimum composition of the electrode is found by using the synergetic effect of platinum, La 0.65 Sr 0.35 MnO 3 and La 0.6 Sr 0.4 CoO 3 .

Ceramic/metal nanocomposites by lyophilization: Processing and HRTEM study

“…Due to their interesting properties and applications, nanostructured materials are nowadays the object of one of the most outstanding lines of research. Concerning ceramics, it is well known that the presence of a nanometric microstructure is responsible for the enhancement of different properties, such as mechanical [1,2], catalytic [3,4] optical [5,6], etc.…”