Carbide-Supported PtRu Catalysts for Hydrogen Oxidation Reaction in Alkaline Electrolyte

Abstract

Owing to the sluggish kinetics of the hydrogen oxidation reaction (HOR) in alkaline electrolyte, it is considered a limiting reaction for the development of anion-exchange membrane fuel cell (AEMFC) technology. Studies of alkaline HOR catalysis mainly focus on carbon-supported nanoparticles, which have weak metal–support interactions. In this contribution, we present a unique support based on transition metal carbides (TMCs = Mo2C, Mo2C–TaC, and Mo2C–W2C) for the HOR. PtRu nanoparticles are deposited onto the TMC supports and are characterized by a variety of analytical techniques. The major findings are (i) experimental and theoretical evidence for strong-metal support interaction by both X-ray absorption near-edge structure and density functional theory, (ii) the kinetic current density (jk,s) @25 mV of PtRu/Mo2C–TaC catalyst are 1.65 and 1.50 times higher than that of PtRu/Mo2C and PtRu/Mo2C–W2C, respectively, and (iii) enhanced “tethering” of PtRu nanoparticles on TMC supports. Furthermore, the AEMFC based on the PtRu/Mo2C–TaC anode exhibited a peak power density of 1.2 W cm–2 @70 °C, opening the doors for the development of advanced catalysts based on engineering support materials.