High Utilization Carbon Supported Platinum Electrocatalyst for Solid Polymer Electrolyte (7540-010)

经济的固体聚合物电解质燃料电池（SPEFC）具有 潜在的商业应用，例如作为辅助 用于游轮，海上平台， 远程导航系统。 与目前其他 使用发电系统，燃料电池提供许多 优点，包括（1）高燃料到电力的转换 额定和部分负荷下的效率;（2）分子 （3）低污染。 一个主要 SPEFC商业化的障碍是高成本 无载体的铂电催化剂。 在这项工作中， 计划开发高利用率脉冲镀碳支撑 用于SPEFC应用的电催化剂， 铂的成本基本上相对于现有技术水平。 利用他们的小企业创新研究（SBIR）第一阶段 格兰特，PI显示铂减少了十倍 成本 他们的高利用率电催化剂概念是基于 碳气体扩散电极的Nafion浸渍 然后用铂进行脉冲电流催化（PCC）。 它们电沉积小的铂催化剂颗粒（30 埃）仅在具有电子和离子的区域中 可访问性。 在这个过程中铂的利用率 因此，电催化剂是高的。 因为一个主要的障碍 对SPEFC的商业化来说， 铂电催化剂，这种技术可以是一种使 用于SPEFC的商业上可行的电催化剂技术。 他们的Nafion的另一个潜在应用 电催化剂用于抗中毒氧传感 个电极 目前用作阴极的电催化剂 氧传感器被一种可溶性铅物质毒害， 阳极。 由于Nafion是质子选择性膜， 电极将延迟的运输和中毒的 用铅作氧敏阴极。 这是SBIR第二阶段 格兰特.

Economical solid polymer electrolyte fuel cells (SPEFCs) have potential commercial applications for example as auxiliary power fuel cell systems for cruise ships, offshore platforms, and remote navigation systems. Compared to other currently used electricity generating systems, fuel cells offer many advantages, including (1) high fuel to electricity conversion efficiency at both rated and part load; (2) molecular construction; and (3) low pollutant levels. A major impediment to the commercialization of SPEFC is the high cost of the unsupported platinum electrocalyst. In this work PIs plan to develop high utilization pulse plated carbon supported electrocatalysts for SPEFC applications which reduce the platinum cost substantially relative to the state-of-art. Using their Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase I grant, the PIs demonstrated a ten-fold decrease in platinum cost. Their high utilization electrocatalyst concept is based on Nafion impregnation of a carbon gas diffusion electrode followed by pulse current catalyzation (PCC) with platinum. They electrodeposit small platinum catalyst particles (30 angstrom) only in regions with electronic and ionic accessibility. The platinum utilization in this electrocatalyst is therefore high. Because a major impediment to the commercialization of SPEFCs is the high cost of the platinum electrocatalyst, this technique could be an enabling technology for commercially viable electrocatalysts for SPEFC. Another potential application for their Nafion impregrated electrocatalyst is for poisoning resistant oxygen sensing electrodes. Currently the electrocatalyst used as a cathode for oxygen sensing is poisoned by a soluble lead species from the anode. Since Nafion is a proton selective membrane, this electrode will retard the transport and poisoning of the oxygen sensing cathode by lead. This is an SBIR Phase II grant.