Development of carbon alloy catalysts for a polymer electrolyte fuel cell

• Published in: Carbon (New York) Vol. 85; p. 444
• Main Authors: Ozaki, Jun-ichi, Imashiro, Yasuo
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Elsevier Ltd 01.04.2015
• ISSN: 0008-6223; 1873-3891
• DOI: 10.1016/j.carbon.2014.12.022

Using hydrogen as an energy source is the most promising option to construct a society with low carbon dioxide emission. We are dreaming to establish such a world by using carbon materials to produce, store and use hydrogen. The present paper provides an explanation of the carbon alloy cathode catalysts for polymer electrolyte fuel cells, which we have discovered and nurtured to the level of platinum catalysts. The paper explains the necessity of developing non-platinum cathode catalysts and our ideas for carbon alloy cathode catalysts, to meet the demand. It then gives our research results on the active sites for oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) of the carbon alloy catalysts by comparing them with results from other researchers on non-platinum cathode catalysts. The paper concludes that the ORR active sites of our catalysts are disordered carbon structures formed on the carbon alloy catalysts. Lastly, the paper describes our efforts to improve the catalytic activity, where our latest carbon alloy catalysts with the highest cell performance are presented. [TANSO 2014 (No. 265) 204–212.]