Comparative techno-economic and life-cycle analysis of precious versus non-precious metal electrocatalysts: the case of PEM fuel cell cathodes

Abstract

Sluggish kinetics in the oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) require significant quantities of expensive Pt-based nanoparticles on carbon (Pt/C) as the electrocatalyst at the cathode of proton exchange membrane fuel cells...

Inducing porosity in xylose-derived FeNC electrocatalysts for alkaline oxygen reduction

“…Therefore, finding methods to reduce the Pt content on the cathode without compromising their activity, as well as the development of Pt-free electrocatalysts based on non-noble metals that match the performance of Pt-based catalysts can lead to the manufacture of sustainable fuel cells with reduced environmental impact and cost. 5 AEMFC in particular could employ non-Pt-based catalysts, owing to the lower thermodynamic requirements of the alkaline ORR, 6 as well as more affordable metallic components versus PEMFC, owing to the high pH conditions. 7,8 Fe single atoms within nitrogen-doped carbon (FeNC) have emerged as the most active alternative to Pt-based catalysts.…”

Optimized mass transfer in a Pt-based cathode catalyst layer for PEM fuel cells

“…16–18 In addition, the production of Pt emits about 10 000 kilograms of CO 2 equivalent per kilogram. 19,20 Life cycle assessment analysis shows that 0.75 g of Pt contributes around 60% of the total environmental impact of manufacturing a 1 kW PEMFC system. 21 Therefore, decreasing Pt loading not only reduces the cost of PEMFCs and promotes their commercialization, but also contributes to reducing CO 2 emissions.…”

Operando Fe Dissolution in Fe-N-C Electrocatalysts during Acidic Oxygen Reduction and Impact of Local pH Change

“…6 S�ll, ~60-100 µm Fe-N-C thick Fe-N-C cathodes are commonly used to compete with the PEMFC performance of ~5 µm Pt/C thick Pt-based cathodes, 7 due mainly to Fe-N-Cs lower specific and volumetric ac�ve site density. [8][9][10] With further improvements, Fe-N-C offer a poten�ally less expensive and less environmentally impac�ul alterna�ve to Pt/C, 11,12 although highly ac�ve Fe-N-C typically suffer from lower durability. 5,13 Researchers have improved the stability of Fe-N-C by improved synthesis pathways, producing atomically dispersed ac�ve sites, rather than encapsulated nanopar�cles, which induce instability.…”