The synthesis and functionalization of nanostructured carbon black by plasma for use in fuel cells

用于燃料电池的纳米结构炭黑的等离子体合成和功能化

• 批准号: 336221-2006
• 负责人: Stansfield, Barry
• 金额: $ 7.93万
• 依托单位: Institut national de la recherche scientifique
• 依托单位国家: 加拿大
• 项目类别: Strategic Projects - Group
• 财政年份: 2006
• 资助国家: 加拿大
• 起止时间: 2006-01-01 至 2007-12-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nserc-crsng.gc.ca/ase-oro/Details-Detailles_eng.asp?id=341221
• 关键词: synthesis; functionalization; nanostructured; carbon; black

Hydrogen could become an attractive energy vector that, combined with high efficiency H2/Air fuel cells, would result in a desirable solution to the energy problem, especially for transportation applications. There is thus a strong ongoing effort to develop Polymer Electrolyte Membrane (PEM) fuel cells. However, for PEM fuel cells to be economically viable, their cost must be reduced substantially. At the moment, the price of the catalyst (Pt) represents a substantial fraction of the cost; one possible path to reduce this cost, which we plan to pursue, consists in developing an alternative, low cost catalyst (e.g. Fe) for the cathode Oxygen Reduction Reaction (ORR). In this case, the Fe is bound to nitrogen atoms which are themselves bound to the graphitic structure of the carbon black (CB) support. Our proposal aims to produce, by plasma decomposition of a carbon-containing feedstock, tailored CB having: (i) high N content necessary to bond the Fe atoms into the CB structure, and (ii) the appropriate microporous structure. Plasma processes offer the potential for better control of the CB structure than conventional methods. This is crucial for the application targeted here. We will produce CB using plasma sources in our laboratories at INRS and McGill, using various carbon-containing feedstocks. The first step is to verify that by changing the synthesis conditions we can produce CB having optimum structural properties. We will then functionalize the CB produced in our laboratories using the plasma torch methods in situ; we will attempt to maximize the nitrogen content and produce the correct chemical C-N phenanthroline structure by varying the plasma conditions and the nitrogen precursor. The CB material will be treated by the pyrolysis process developed at INRS to affix the iron catalytic sites, and electrodes will be prepared to test the catalytic activity in PEM fuel cells. Three PhD students and two MSc/MEng students will be trained at INRS and McGill during this project.

氢可能成为一种有吸引力的能量载体，与高效的H2/Air燃料电池相结合，将导致能源问题的理想解决方案，特别是在运输应用中。因此，聚合物电解质膜（PEM）燃料电池的发展是一个强有力的持续努力。然而，为了使PEM燃料电池在经济上可行，其成本必须大幅降低。目前，催化剂（Pt）的价格占成本的很大一部分；我们计划开发一种替代的低成本催化剂（例如Fe），用于阴极氧还原反应（ORR），这是降低成本的一种可能途径。在这种情况下，铁与氮原子结合，而氮原子本身又与炭黑（CB）载体的石墨结构结合。我们的建议旨在通过等离子体分解含碳原料，生产定制的CB具有：(i)高N含量，这是将铁原子结合到CB结构中所必需的，以及（ii）适当的微孔结构。等离子体工艺提供了比传统方法更好地控制CB结构的潜力。这对于这里的应用程序是至关重要的。我们将在INRS和McGill的实验室使用等离子体源生产CB，使用各种含碳原料。第一步是验证通过改变合成条件，我们可以生产出具有最佳结构性能的炭黑。然后，我们将在我们的实验室中使用等离子体火炬方法原位功能化CB；我们将尝试通过改变等离子体条件和氮前体来最大化氮含量并产生正确的化学C-N菲罗啉结构。炭黑材料将通过INRS开发的热解工艺进行处理，以固定铁催化位点，并制备电极以测试PEM燃料电池的催化活性。在此项目期间，将在INRS和McGill培训三名博士生和两名硕士/孟学生。