Highly active and stable catalysts based on nanotubes and modified platinum for fuel cells

Abstract

Results on the development of new cathodic catalysts (monoplatinum and cobalt-modified platinum) applied on carbon nanotubes are shown. By means of a complex of electrochemical and structural techniques, it is shown that as regards their activity under model conditions and within membrane-electrode assembles, the catalysts synthesized by the polyol method are close to commercial monoplatinum systems with the same mass content of platinum (20 wt %) and their corrosion stability is double that of commercial catalysts. Platinum modified with cobalt is characterized by still higher stability, which allows considering these catalytic systems as the candidates to be used in fuel cells after the corresponding optimization.