Durability of Ordered Mesoporous Carbon Supported Pt Particles as Catalysts for Direct Formic Acid Fuel Cells

Abstract

This paper examines the possibility of ordered mesoporous carbon (OMC) supported Pt particles (Pt/OMC) as catalysts for direct formic acid fuel cells (DFAFCs), with focus on the durability issue. The Pt/OMC catalyst was synthesized by a microwave-assisted polyol approach, and characterized by transmission electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. It is shown that the high surface area and mesopores of OMC support lead to smaller average size and better dispersion of Pt nanoparticles. In addition, OMC support facilitates the deposition of more metallic Pt particles. The ageing test of cyclic voltammetry (CV) reveals that Pt/OMC exhibits higher long-term durability than Pt/C, due to the confining effects of mesopores in OMC on Pt particles. Further, linear sweeping voltammetry measurements show that the Pt/OMC catalyst has highly stable and robust activity for oxygen reduction reaction, which is suggested to be related to the tailoring by OMC support. In contrast, it is demonstrated that the Pt/OMC catalyst is less durable towards the reaction of formic acid oxidation. Therefore, the Pt/OMC catalyst is promising as durable and robust cathode catalyst for DFAFCs.