Single wall nanohorns as electrocatalyst support for vapour phase high temperature DMFC

• Type: Article in International Scientific Journal
• Date: 2012

Authors

Lúcia Brandão (Author) FEUP; Marta Boaventura (Author) FEUP; Paulo Ribeirinha (Author) FEUP

Journal

Title: International Journal of Hydrogen Energy

Vol. 37 No. 24

Pages: 19073-19081

ISSN: 0360-3199

Publisher: Elsevier

Indexing

ISI Web of Knowledge - 4 Citations

Scopus - 2 Citations

INSPEC

Scientific classification

FOS: Engineering and technology > Chemical engineering

Associated Projects

PTDC/EQU-EQU/104217/2008 - Integração de células de combustível de electrólito de membrana polimérica com membranas de paládio de elevada eficiência

PTDC/CTM/108454/2008 - Propostas inovadoras à permeabilidade do metanol e actividade do catalisador em células de combustível de electrólito de membrana com alimentação directa de metano

Other information

Authenticus ID: P-002-2HG

DOI: 10.1016/j.ijhydene.2012.09.133

Abstract (EN): The use of single wall nanohorns (SWNH) as electrocatalyst support has proved to increase the performance of polymer electrolyte membrane-based fuel cells. In order to investigate in more detail such behavior, the electrochemical characterization of SWNH based electrodes was performed. The use of SWNH in vapour phase high temperature direct methanol fuel cells (HT-DMFC) was also addressed. Cyclic voltammetry experiments have indicated a higher electrochemical activity towards methanol electro-oxidation and a higher tolerance to carbonaceous species accumulation for a SWNH based electrode than for carbon black and commercial corresponding ones. Carbon black electrode presented a better performance than SWNH one for oxygen reduction reaction at low current densities while, at higher overvoltages, SWNH electrode performed better. The exact role of the improved performance of SWNH based electrodes is yet not clear but may be related to a higher water vapour adsorption or electrode morphology. Vapour phase HT-DMFC operation showed the improved performance of the SWNH electrode in agreement with previous works and with the electrochemical characterization performed during this work; despite the higher ohmic resistance observed in comparison with the carbon black based electrode. Moreover, SWNH based electrode showed improved fuel cell stability during longer operation times. Copyright

Language: English

Type (Professor's evaluation): Scientific

No. of pages: 9