Enhanced carbon monoxide tolerance of platinum nanoparticles synthesized through the flash joule heating method

Abstract

Carbon supported Pt nanoparticles were synthesized by the Flash Joule Heating Method (FJHM). An aqueous solution of Pt precursor H2PtCl6·6H2O was added to Vulcan XC 72 carbon into a reactor, and then this mixture was submitted to 50 cycles of discharges at 100 coulombs per discharge. Compared to a commercial Pt/C the X-ray Diffraction (XRD) analysis revealed an increase in the interplanar spacing of the platinum crystal lattice in the Pt/C catalyst prepared by FJHM, suggesting the emergence of structural defects. Transmission electronic microscopy (TEM) images showed distinct step-like features on the surface of FJHM-Pt/C, which may be indicative of structural defects, confirming X-ray Diffraction results. The cyclic voltammogram of the FJHM-Pt/C exhibited a significant increase in the oxidation pre-peak at 0.5 V compared to Pt/C BASF. Using pure H2 as the fuel, the single proton exchange membrane fuel cell with the commercial Pt/C as the anode catalyst showed a higher maximum power density (MPD) than FJHM-Pt/C. In the presence of CO with H2 the FJHM-Pt/C catalyst delivered a higher MPD compared to the cell with the commercial Pt/C. These results indicate an enhanced CO tolerance, underscoring the potential advantages of the FJHM preparation method.