Fuel cell catalysts: Carbon-supported bimetallic/trimetallic alloy nanoparticles

Polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cells and direct methanol fuel cells are becoming increasingly attractive power sources because of the high conversion efficiencies and low pollution and the use for mobile and stationary applications such as on-board electric power sources for advanced propulsion systems, non-polluting electric vehicles and portable devices. This presentation reports recent results of an investigation of carbon-supported alloy nanoparticle catalysts for electrocatalytic methanol oxidation and oxygen reduction reactions. The exploration of the bimetallic/trimetallic composition on carbon black support focuses on the production of low-cost, robust, and active catalysts. Spectroscopic, microscopic and combinatorial analysis work will be discussed, which are aimed at a detailed delineation of the catalytic activity with the nanoscale composition and sizes.