High Performance Palladium Supported on Nanoporous Carbon under Anhydrous Condition

Due to the high cost of polymer electrolyte fuel cells (PEFCs), replacing platinum (Pt) with some inexpensive metal was carried out. Here, we deposited palladium nanoparticles (Pd-NPs) on nanoporous carbon (NC) after wrapping by poly[2,2'-(2,6-pyridine)-5,5'-bibenzimidazole] (PyPBI) doped with phosphoric acid (PA) and the Pd-NPs size was successfully controlled by varying the weight ratio between Pd precursor and carbon support doped with PA. The membrane electrode assembly (MEA) fabricated from the optimized electrocatalyst with 0.05 mgPd cm-2 for both anode and cathode sides showed a power density of 76 mW cm-2 under 120 °C without any humidification, which was comparable to the commercial CB/Pt, 89 mW cm-2 with 0.45 mgPt cm-2 loaded in both anode and cathode. Meanwhile, the power density of hybrid MEA with 0.45 mgPt cm-2 in cathode and 0.05 mgPd cm-2 in anode reached 188 mW cm-2. The high performance of the Pt-free electrocatalyst was attributed to the porous structure enhancing the gas diffusion and the PyPBI-PA facilitating the proton conductivity in catalyst layer. Meanwhile, the durability of Pd electrocatalyst was enhanced by coating with acidic polymer. The newly fabricated Pt-free electrocatalyst is extremely promising for reducing the cost in the high-temperature PEFCs.