Synthesis and Characterization of CO- and H2S-Tolerant Electrocatalysts for PEM Fuel Cell

The present state-of-art Proton Exchange Membrane Fuel Cell (PEMFC) technology is based on platinum (Pt) as a catalyst for both the fuel (anode) and air (cathode) electrodes. This catalyst is highly active but susceptible to poisoning by CO, which may be present in the H{sub 2}-fuel used or may be introduced during the fuel processing. Presence of trace amount of CO and H{sub 2}S in the H{sub 2}-fuel poisons the anode irreversibly and decreases the performance of the PEMFCs. In an effort to reduce the Pt-loading and improve the PEMFC performance, we propose to synthesize a number of Pt-based binary, ternary, and quaternary electrocatalysts using Ru, Mo, Ir, Ni, and Co as a substitute for Pt. By fine-tuning the metal loadings and compositions of candidate electrocatalysts, we plan to minimize the cost and optimize the catalyst activity and performance in PEMFC. The feasibility of the novel electrocatalysts will be demonstrated in the proposed effort with gas phase CO and H{sub 2}S concentrations typical of those found in reformed fuel gas with coal/natural gas/methanol feedstocks. In this work binary, ternary, and quaternary platinum-based electrocatalysts were synthesized for the purpose of lowering the cost and increasing the CO tolerance of the membrane electrode assembly (MEA) in the fuel cell. The metals Ru, Mo, W, Ir, Co and Se were alloyed with platinum on a carbon support using a modified reduction method. These catalysts were fabricated into MEAs and evaluated for electrical performance and CO tolerance with polarization experiments. The quaternary system Pt/Ru/Mo/Ir system is the most CO tolerant in the PEMFC and has a low total metal loading of 0.4 mg/cm{sup 2} in the electrode of the cell