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

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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.