Mitigating catalyst corrosion is crucial for the commercial success of polymer electrolyte fuel cells (PEFCs). Novel catalysts that can withstand the harsh conditions in case of gross fuel (i.e. H₂) starvation events at the PEFC anode are needed to increase the fuel cell stack's service life and to meet the durability targets set for automotive applications. To make progress in this respect, we have tested an unsupported, bimetallic Pt₃Ni alloy (aerogel) catalyst at the PEFC anode and subjected it to a stress test that mimics the high potentials (≥ 1.5 V vs. the reversible hydrogen electrode) encountered upon fuel starvation. In contrast to commercial carbon-supported platinum catalysts (Pt/C), the Pt₃Ni aerogel displays excellent durability and performance retention in end-of-life fuel cell polarization curves. Additionally, the aerogel catalyst shows ≈35% higher surface-specific activity for the hydrogen oxidation/evolution reaction than Pt/C. These results highlight the great potential of using novel unsupported catalysts at the anode of PEFCs.

中文翻译：

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无燃料的Pt3Ni气凝胶在总燃料匮乏条件下作为耐腐蚀PEFC阳极催化剂

减轻催化剂腐蚀对于聚合物电解质燃料电池（PEFC）的商业成功至关重要。需要新颖的催化剂，以在PEFC阳极发生总燃料（即H ₂）饥饿事件的情况下承受苛刻的条件，以延长燃料电池堆的使用寿命并达到为汽车应用设定的耐用性目标。为了在这方面取得进展，我们在PEFC阳极上测试了无载体的双金属Pt ₃ Ni合金（气凝胶）催化剂，并对其进行了模拟高电势（≥1.5 V相对于可逆氢电极）的压力测试。燃料不足时。与商用碳载铂催化剂（Pt / C）相比，Pt ₃镍气凝胶在寿命终止的燃料电池极化曲线中显示出出色的耐久性和性能保持能力。此外，气凝胶催化剂对氢氧化/放出反应的表面比活性比Pt / C高约35％。这些结果凸显了在PEFC的阳极上使用新型无载体催化剂的巨大潜力。