Issue 12, 2020

A low temperature aqueous formate fuel cell using cobalt hexacyanoferrate as a non-noble metal oxidation catalyst

Abstract

Cobalt hexacyanoferrate, the Co–Fe Prussian blue derivative (CoFePB), is an effective, selective and stable electrocatalyst for formate oxidation, exhibiting robust performance under a variety of electrolyte conditions. In this work, we test CoFePB as a non-noble-metal formate oxidation catalyst in a liquid fuel cell, with formate acting as a carbon-based, water soluble, hydrogen carrier. Herein we fabricate two proof-of-concept aqueous direct formate fuel cells. One uses CoFePB as a formic acid oxidation catalyst coupled with Pt as an oxygen reduction reaction catalyst and delivers a maximum power density of 67 μW cm−2. The second one, based on carbon felt as a cathode and Ce4+ as a terminal electron acceptor, shows a stable maximum power output of 8.6 mW cm−2. This is, to our knowledge, the first example of a noble-metal-free direct formate oxidation fuel cell.

Graphical abstract: A low temperature aqueous formate fuel cell using cobalt hexacyanoferrate as a non-noble metal oxidation catalyst

Supplementary files

Article information

Article type
Paper
Submitted
17 Sep 2020
Accepted
20 Oct 2020
First published
05 Nov 2020

Sustainable Energy Fuels, 2020,4, 6227-6233

A low temperature aqueous formate fuel cell using cobalt hexacyanoferrate as a non-noble metal oxidation catalyst

L. Han, J. González-Cobos, I. Sánchez-Molina, S. Giancola, S. J. Folkman, S. Giménez, A. Vidal-Ferran and J. R. Galán-Mascarós, Sustainable Energy Fuels, 2020, 4, 6227 DOI: 10.1039/D0SE01398F

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