Studies on the effect of solvent for the synthesis of low-cost and efficient Pt-Co/CAB cathode electrocatalyst to enhance the performance of a hydrogen-based PEMFC

Abstract

Highly efficient and low-cost Pt-Co/CAB bimetallic cathode electrocatalysts were synthesized for hydrogen-based proton exchange membrane fuel cell (PEMFC) using three different types of solvent, namely, dimethyl sulphoxide (DMSO), dimethylformamide (DMF), and ethylene glycol (EG). The physical characterization of synthesized cathode electrocatalysts Pt-Co/CAB-DMSO, Pt-Co/CAB-DMF and Pt-Co/CAB-EG was performed by scanning electron microscope–energy-dispersive X-ray (SEM–EDX), X-ray diffraction (XRD), and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) techniques, whereas the electrochemical investigation of all three Pt-Co/CAB electrocatalysts was performed by CV and EIS studies. The synthesized Pt-Co/C-EG electrocatalyst produced the highest power density of 19.61 mW/cm2 at a room temperature of 33°C. The power density increased to 26.11 mW/cm2, that is, 133%, when the cell operating temperature was raised from 33 to 70°C. The excellent performance of the Pt-Co/CAB-EG cathode electrode proves that it can be recommended as a commercial electrocatalyst for PEMFC cathode. In addition, the EG/EG was identified as the best solvent for the synthesis of Pt-Co/CAB cathode electrocatalysts. © 2022 Canadian Society for Chemical Engineering.