Block Copolymer Templated Bimetallic Pt-M Nanoparticle Systems for Fuel Cell Catalysis
Research Mentor(s)
Rider, David A. (Materials scientist)
Description
There are two central issues regarding polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cells (PEMFCs) before they are considered viable for practical applications: poor catalytic performance of a pure platinum cathode catalyst for the oxygen reduction reaction, and the propensity for a pure platinum anode catalyst to become poisoned and rendered inactive. For this reason, bimetallic Pt/M or M/M, where M is a cheaper metal, with higher catalytic activity are desirable. A block copolymer templating method is presented to yield efficient nanoparticle catalysts for implementation into PEMFCs. Different polystyrene-block-poly(4-vinylpyridine) (PS-b-P4VP) block copolymers of block ratio ~3:1 were used to synthesize the nanoparticles. The templating method was used to control size, morphology, structure, and composition. A full study was done on a platinum/gold system, utilizing cyclic voltammetry coupled with a rotating ring-disk electrode, x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, and transmission electron microscopy. The catalysts were all subjected to activity testing for: the oxygen reduction reaction, emulating the reaction that would take place at a fuel cell cathode, and the methanol oxidation reaction, imitating the reaction that would take place at a fuel cell anode.
Document Type
Event
Start Date
17-5-2017 9:00 AM
End Date
17-5-2017 12:00 PM
Department
Chemistry
Genre/Form
student projects; posters
Subjects – Topical (LCSH)
Fuel cells; Polymeric composites--Industrial applications
Type
Image
Rights
Copying of this document in whole or in part is allowable only for scholarly purposes. It is understood, however, that any copying or publication of this documentation for commercial purposes, or for financial gain, shall not be allowed without the author's written permission.
Language
English
Format
application/pdf
Block Copolymer Templated Bimetallic Pt-M Nanoparticle Systems for Fuel Cell Catalysis
There are two central issues regarding polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cells (PEMFCs) before they are considered viable for practical applications: poor catalytic performance of a pure platinum cathode catalyst for the oxygen reduction reaction, and the propensity for a pure platinum anode catalyst to become poisoned and rendered inactive. For this reason, bimetallic Pt/M or M/M, where M is a cheaper metal, with higher catalytic activity are desirable. A block copolymer templating method is presented to yield efficient nanoparticle catalysts for implementation into PEMFCs. Different polystyrene-block-poly(4-vinylpyridine) (PS-b-P4VP) block copolymers of block ratio ~3:1 were used to synthesize the nanoparticles. The templating method was used to control size, morphology, structure, and composition. A full study was done on a platinum/gold system, utilizing cyclic voltammetry coupled with a rotating ring-disk electrode, x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, and transmission electron microscopy. The catalysts were all subjected to activity testing for: the oxygen reduction reaction, emulating the reaction that would take place at a fuel cell cathode, and the methanol oxidation reaction, imitating the reaction that would take place at a fuel cell anode.