Synthesis of Metal-Free Electrocatalyst Obtained from Different Biomass Sources with High Performance for Oxygen Reduction Reaction in Fuel Cells

In this work, the synthesis and characterization of novel metal-free electrocatalysts obtained from biomass source is reported. Sargassum and waste leather has been subjected to simple thermochemical treatments, obtaining high performance electrocatalysts for the Oxygen Reduction Reaction (ORR) in K...

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Published inECS transactions Vol. 75; no. 14; pp. 1035 - 1040
Main Authors Alonso-Lemus, Ivonne Liliana, Escobar-Morales, Beatriz, Rodríguez-Varela, Fransico Javier, González-Quijano, Diego, Lardizabal, Daniel, Pacheco-Saucedo, Kehila, de la Torre Saenz, Luis
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published The Electrochemical Society, Inc 01.01.2016
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Summary:In this work, the synthesis and characterization of novel metal-free electrocatalysts obtained from biomass source is reported. Sargassum and waste leather has been subjected to simple thermochemical treatments, obtaining high performance electrocatalysts for the Oxygen Reduction Reaction (ORR) in KOH. A higher catalytic activity has been determined for the electrocatalyst from leather (PAL), compared to electrocatalyst obtained from sargassum (PAS). Furthermore, PAL delivers a higher current density compared with commercial 20% Pt/C (j = 9.0 and 4.5 mA cm-2, respectively), while its on-set potential shifts only 145 mV to more negative values. The metal-free catalysts are a promising eco-friendly and scalable alternative as cathode materials for alkaline fuel cells and other electrochemical energy devices.
ISSN:1938-5862
1938-6737
DOI:10.1149/07514.1035ecst