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Platinum Dissolution in Realistic Fuel Cell Catalyst Layers
Author(s) -
Ehelebe Konrad,
Knöppel Julius,
Bierling Markus,
Mayerhöfer Britta,
Böhm Thomas,
Kulyk Nadiia,
Thiele Simon,
Mayrhofer Karl J. J.,
Cherevko Serhiy
Publication year - 2021
Publication title -
angewandte chemie international edition
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 5.831
H-Index - 550
eISSN - 1521-3773
pISSN - 1433-7851
DOI - 10.1002/anie.202014711
Subject(s) - dissolution , mass transfer , aqueous solution , catalysis , platinum , inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry , chemistry , membrane , chemical engineering , electrode , gas diffusion electrode , diffusion , diffusion layer , deposition (geology) , fuel cells , mass transfer coefficient , analytical chemistry (journal) , inorganic chemistry , mass spectrometry , electrochemistry , chromatography , thermodynamics , organic chemistry , geology , engineering , paleontology , biochemistry , physics , sediment
Pt dissolution has already been intensively studied in aqueous model systems and many mechanistic insights have been gained. Nevertheless, transfer of new knowledge to real‐world fuel cell systems is still a significant challenge. To close this gap, we present a novel in situ method combining a gas diffusion electrode (GDE) half‐cell with inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP‐MS). With this setup, Pt dissolution in realistic catalyst layers and the transport of dissolved Pt species through Nafion membranes were evaluated directly. We observed that 1) specific Pt dissolution increased significantly with decreasing Pt loading, 2) in comparison to experiments on aqueous model systems with flow cells, the measured dissolution in GDE experiments was considerably lower, and 3) by adding a membrane onto the catalyst layer, Pt dissolution was reduced even further. All these phenomena are attributed to the varying mass transport conditions of dissolved Pt species, influencing re‐deposition and equilibrium potential.