Enhancing the Efficiency of a PEM Hydrogen Fuel Cell with Synthesized Metal-Nanoparticle/Graphene Composites Synergy
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Enhancing the Efficiency of a PEM Hydrogen Fuel Cell with Synthesized MetalNanoparticle/Graphene Composites Synergy Rebecca Isseroff1, 3, Benjamin Akhavan2, Cheng Pan1, Harry Shan He1, Jonathan Sokolov1, Miriam Rafailovich1 1.
Dept. of Materials Science and Engineering, SUNY Stony Brook, Stony Brook, NY 11794, United States. 2. Rambam Mesivta High School, Lawrence, NY 11559, United States. 3. Lawrence High School, Cedarhurst, NY 11516, United States. ABSTRACT Obstructing commercialization of Proton Exchange Membrane Fuel Cells (PEMFC) is the soaring cost of platinum and other catalysts used to increase membrane efficiency. The goal of this investigation is to find a relatively inexpensive catalyst for coating the membrane and enhancing the efficiency of the PEMFC. Graphene oxide was reduced using NaBH4 in the presence of metal salts, primarily KAuCl4 and K2PtCl4, to synthesize metal-nanoparticle/reduced graphene oxide (RGO). FTIR indicated the successful synthesis of RGO, while Transmission Electron Microscopy displayed the presence of nanoparticles on RGO sheets. Nafion® membranes were coated with metal-nanoparticle/RGO and tested in an experimental PEMFC alongside bare Nafion®, Gold (Au) nanoparticles, and RGO. The metal-nanoparticle/RGO composites enhanced the PEMFC compared to bare Nafion®. Au-RGO, the best catalyst composite, increased the efficiency up to 150% better than nanoparticles or RGO alone while using only 1% of the concentration of Au nanoparticles. Theoretical power output of the AuRGO synergy could increase fuel cell efficiency up to 18 times more than the Au-nanoparticles themselves by altering concentrations of Au nanoparticles in Au-RGO. The Au nanoparticles changed the structure and catalytic ability of graphene in the Au-RGO, offering a promising future for PEM fuel cell technology. INTRODUCTION The soaring price of platinum makes the commercialization of Proton Exchange Membrane Fuel Cells (PEMFCs) prohibitive. Catalysts transferred onto the PEM are essential for inducing a faster reaction rate that provides significant power [1]. Nanoparticles, including gold (Au) and platinum (Pt), possess catalytic abilities and have been used in PEM fuel cells [2,3]. Platinum can quickly oxidize the hydrogen at the anode and reduce the oxygen at the cathode [4]. Unlike Pt, the science of Au catalysis is relatively new, but it is known that the gold catalyzes oxidation of the CO that could hinder the cell by blocking catalyst sites [5]. It was found that platelet-shaped nanoparticles (such as gold) are the optimal arrangement for nanoparticles to be effective in a PEMFC, since when particle size shrinks, their greater ratio of corner atoms provides increased activity [6]. Another type of composite used to enhance fuel cells is reduced graphene oxide (RGO). However, it was found that RGO does not significantly enhance the efficiency of fuel cells when coated on the Nafion membrane of the PEMFC. In fact, graphene oxide (GO), the precursor of
RGO, enhances the efficiency of a fuel cell much more than RGO d
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