CoO x -Fe 3 O 4 /N-rGO Oxygen Reduction Catalyst for Anion-Exchange Membrane Fuel Cells

Ramesh K. Singh, John C. Douglin, Lanjie Jiang, Karam Yassin, Simon Brandon and Dario R. Dekel ()
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Ramesh K. Singh: The Wolfson Department of Chemical Engineering, Technion–Israel Institute of Technology, Haifa 3200003, Israel
John C. Douglin: The Wolfson Department of Chemical Engineering, Technion–Israel Institute of Technology, Haifa 3200003, Israel
Lanjie Jiang: The Wolfson Department of Chemical Engineering, Technion–Israel Institute of Technology, Haifa 3200003, Israel
Karam Yassin: The Wolfson Department of Chemical Engineering, Technion–Israel Institute of Technology, Haifa 3200003, Israel
Simon Brandon: The Wolfson Department of Chemical Engineering, Technion–Israel Institute of Technology, Haifa 3200003, Israel
Dario R. Dekel: The Wolfson Department of Chemical Engineering, Technion–Israel Institute of Technology, Haifa 3200003, Israel

Energies, 2023, vol. 16, issue 8, 1-18

Abstract: Platinum group metal (PGM)-free oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) catalysts are of utmost importance for the rapid development of anion-exchange membrane fuel cell (AEMFC) technology. In this work, we demonstrate the improved ORR performance and stability of Co and Fe oxide-decorated/N-doped reduced graphene oxide (CoO x -Fe 3 O 4 /N-rGO) prepared via a hydrothermal method at the low temperature of 150 °C. The catalysts were characterized thoroughly using transmission electron microscopy, high-angle annular dark field-scanning electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction, N 2 physisorption, Raman spectroscopy, and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy to obtain information about morphology, elemental distribution, phases, porosity, defects, and surface elemental compositions. Significant ORR activity improvement (130 mV@-1.5 mA cm −2 ) was achieved with this catalyst compared to the pristine graphene oxide, and the ORR limiting current was even 12%@0.5 V higher than the commercial Pt/C. The enhanced ORR activity of CoO x -Fe 3 O 4 /N-rGO was attributed to the uniform dispersion of Co, Fe, and N on reduced graphene oxide (rGO) sheets. Furthermore, ORR accelerated stress tests revealed excellent durability, suggesting that this material could be a promising and durable catalyst. With a cathode layer of the CoO x -Fe 3 O 4 /N-rGO catalyst, we achieved a peak power density of 676 mW cm −2 in an operando H 2 -O 2 AEMFC. To the best of our knowledge, this is the highest reported power density per cathode catalyst mass in a reported PGM-free cathode catalyst. Finally, we quantified the various cell polarization losses as a function of cathode catalyst loadings to obtain insights for future work with AEMFCs based on this catalyst. The improvement in the AEMFC performance using CoO x -Fe 3 O 4 /N-rGO as a cathode catalyst can be attributed to the synergistic effects of (i) the high turnover frequency of the transition metals (Co and Fe) for ORR and (ii) the enhancement provided by N doping to the metal distribution and stability.

Keywords: oxygen reduction reaction; anion-exchange membrane fuel cell; PGM-free; alkaline electrolyte (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q Q0 Q4 Q40 Q41 Q42 Q43 Q47 Q48 Q49 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2023
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