Synthesis and evaluation of ptni/c nano-sized alloy catalyst for oxygen reduction reaction in proton exchange membrane fuel cell

Abstract

In this research, Vulcan XC-72 carbon supported PtNi alloy catalyst nanoparticles have been synthesized by the deposition method using NaBH4 as a reduction agent. The properties of the synthesized PtNi/C catalyst have been researched and evaluated. Transmission electron microscope (TEM) results have shown that PtNi alloy catalyst particles are dispersed evenly on the carbon subtrate with the size in the range of 4-8 nm. X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis has confirmed that the crystal lattice of Pt and PtNi alloy is face-centered cubic. In presence of Ni atom, XRD has shown that the structure of PtNi alloy crystal has been contracted, which affects the catalyst properties. The catalyst activity has been evaluated by electrochemical methods including cyclic voltammetry (CV) and linear sweep voltammetry (LSV). The electrochemical results have indicated that the activity of PtNi/C alloy catalyst toward oxygen reduction reaction on cathode of proton exchange membrane fuel cell (PEMFC) is higher in comparison with that of Pt/C catalyst.