STTR Phase I: Graphene-Platinum Composite for Hydrogen Fuel Cells

该奖项是根据2009年美国复苏和再投资法案（公法111-5）资助的。该小企业技术转让第一阶段项目将开发用于氢燃料电池的多功能石墨烯-铂复合材料。由于Pt纳米颗粒和固体质子导体之间的接触有限，高性能燃料电池目前具有低效的催化剂利用率。 这种困难可以通过使用负载在高表面积载体上的高Pt含量催化剂来改善。石墨烯是碳的一个原子厚的导电同素异形体，是一种理想的催化剂载体，具有极高的比表面积，显着的导热性/导电性和良好的热稳定性的罕见组合。石墨烯催化剂载体将增加Pt催化剂的功效，延迟Pt纳米颗粒的烧结/团聚，并为电子传输提供电子连续性。Allotropica技术公司与北卡罗来纳州大学合作，将利用其新发现的石墨烯用于燃料电池应用的路线。石墨烯-铂复合材料的高表面积和低孔隙率的组合构成了一种新型的电催化剂，这种催化剂将实现更高的催化剂利用率，并导致增强的燃料电池性能。燃料电池继续吸引全世界的关注;欧盟和日本每年在燃料电池研究上花费超过1亿美元。聚合物电解质膜燃料电池的核心是夹在两层催化剂之间的膜电解质，催化剂通常以分散在高表面积形式的碳上的铂或铂合金纳米颗粒的形式存在。我们建议利用石墨烯的超高表面积来支撑氢燃料电池中的Pt纳米颗粒催化剂。 我们的新型石墨烯-Pt复合材料应该能够提高性能效率，机械强度和热管理，这是综合能源战略的重要组成部分。

This award is funded under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (Public Law 111-5).This Small Business Technology Transfer Phase I project will develop a multifunctional graphene-platinum composite for hydrogen fuel cells. High performance fuel cells currently have inefficient catalyst utilization due to limited contact between Pt nanoparticles and the solid proton conductor. This difficulty can be ameliorated by the use of high-Pt-content catalysts supported on high-surface-area supports. Graphene, a one-atom-thick, conductive allotrope of carbon, is an ideal catalyst support with a rare combination of extremely high specific surface area, remarkable thermal/electrical conductivity, and good thermal stability. Graphene catalyst supports will increase the efficacy of the Pt catalyst, retard the sintering/agglomeration of Pt nanoparticles, and provide electronic continuity for electron transport. Allotropica Technologies, in collaboration with the University of North Carolina, will exploit its newly discovered route to graphene for fuel cell applications. The combination of high surface area and low-porosity in the proposed graphene-Pt composite constitutes a new type of electrocatalyst, one that will achieve higher catalyst utilization and result in enhanced fuel cell performance.Fuel cells continue to attract attention worldwide; the European Union and Japan are spending more than $100 million annually on fuel cell research. The heart of a Polymer Electrolyte Membrane fuel cell is a membrane electrolyte sandwiched between two layers of catalyst, typically in the form of platinum or alloyed platinum nanoparticles dispersed onto a high surface area form of carbon. We propose to use the ultra-high surface area of graphene to support Pt nanoparticles catalysts in hydrogen fuel cells. Our novel graphene-Pt composite should lead to an improvement in performance efficiency, mechanical strength, and the thermal management in this important component of a comprehensive energy strategy.