One-step fabrication of new generation graphene-based electrodes for polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cells by a novel electrophoretic deposition

Official URL: https://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.ijhydene.2020.11.039

High Pt loading has better tradeoff in polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cell (PEMFC) in terms of improved performance and operational longevity. But, to employ low amounts of Pt electrocatalysts via an alternative carbon-based support and utilization technique is vital. This study presents the use of a one-step novel technique, an electrophoretic deposition (EPD) method, through which reduced graphene oxide (rGO) supported Pt nanoparticles have been directly fabricated onto carbon paper to form electrodes for PEMFC. Our process involves simultaneous synthesis and deposition of Pt-reduced GO nanocomposites onto oxygen plasma pre-treated carbon paper in an organo-aqueous media at various deposition time. Through this technique, homogenously distributed Pt nanoparticles ranging from 5 to 6 nm in size on graphene support were successfully synthesized to form catalyst layer on carbon paper. The characteristics of fabricated electrodes were investigated ex-situ by Raman spectroscopy, FE-SEM, XPS, ICP, FIB, TEM. Furthermore, catalytic activity towards hydrogen oxidation reaction was evaluated via CV measurements and fuel cell performance tests were also conducted. The highest ECSA value of 27.4 m2g-1 and the Pt utilization efficiency of 1.48 kW/gPt−1 were achieved at an optimized Pt loading of 0.129 mg cm−2. A maximum power density of 280 mW cm−2 was obtained with increasing EPD time and Pt precursor concentration at the same time. The achieved results are attributed to the dispersion of Pt nanoparticles on rGO nanosheets displaying synergetic performance as catalyst necessary for PEMFCs, thanks to the EPD technique's viability, ease in handling, and reproducibility in the synthesis route. In the previous studies on Pt/GO based fuel cell electrodes by EPD, on one hand, Pt NPs were synthesized on GO by chemical methods first and electrodes were fabricated by a subsequent EPD. On the other hand, the fuel cell performances of those electrodes have been rarely shown. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first time in literature not only about the use of EPD technique for the fabrication of fuel cell electrodes in one-step but also the evaluation of fuel cell performance of the electrodes fabricated by EPD.