Premium
Self‐Assembled Manganese Sulfide Nanostructures on Graphene as an Oxygen Reduction Catalyst for Anion Exchange Membrane Fuel Cells
Author(s) -
Arunchander Asokan,
Peera Shaik Gouse,
Sahu Akhila Kumar
Publication year - 2017
Publication title -
chemelectrochem
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.182
H-Index - 59
ISSN - 2196-0216
DOI - 10.1002/celc.201700160
Subject(s) - catalysis , materials science , graphene , chemical engineering , cobalt sulfide , manganese , cathode , sulfide , membrane , cobalt , electrode , inorganic chemistry , nanotechnology , chemistry , electrochemistry , metallurgy , organic chemistry , biochemistry , engineering
The development of active, inexpensive, and durable non‐precious‐metal electrocatalysts to replace high‐cost Pt‐based catalysts towards the commercialization of fuel cell technology is the focus in recent years. In this regard, we report a facile one‐pot hydrothermal synthesis of self‐assembled manganese sulfide on graphene layers (MnS/G), and is recognized as a non‐precious‐metal catalyst for the efficient oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) in an alkaline medium. The phase purity and surface morphologies are investigated by using X‐ray diffraction and scanning electron microscopic techniques, respectively. Optimized MnS/G with 50 % Mn exhibited excellent ORR properties with onset and half‐wave potentials of 0.83 and 0.71 V vs. RHE, respectively. While evaluating the durability, only a 90 mV negative shift in its half‐wave potential is observed after 5000 repeated potential cycles, which is also ascertained for up to 48 h of operation at a constant potential by using a chronoamperometric technique with 28 % degradation in the current. The optimized material is utilized as a cathode catalyst in fabricating membrane electrode assembly for performance evaluation in an anion exchange membrane fuel cell. A peak power density of 12 mW cm −2 is realized in H 2 −O 2 feeds under ambient temperature and pressure; thus, it looks as an alternative non‐precious‐metal catalyst for fuel cell applications.