Are Fe–N–C Electrocatalysts an Alternative to Pt-Based Electrocatalysts for the Next Generation of Proton Exchange Membrane Fuel Cells?
Résumé
Notable progresses have been made for low Pt-based and Fe-N-C electrocatalysts for proton exchange membrane fuel cells (PEMFCs) applications. Particularly, the research and development of cost-effective Fe-N-Cs have witnessed significant improvements in the recent years, due to the need of an alternative candidate to the scare, and expensive, platinum. Numerous studies have been exploring the design and optimization of Fe-N-Cs and generally make simple performance comparison with commercial Pt/C catalysts on the basis of rotating disk electrode (RDE) and/or membrane electrode assembly (MEA), thus arguing that said materials are comparable, or could even surpass, Pt/C electrocatalysts. The resulting question, i.e. 'are Fe-N-Cs an alternative to Pt-based electrocatalysts in PEMFCs?' is the centerpiece of this review. Here, the interconnectedness and differences between Fe-N-Cs and Pt-based materials are discussed from fundamental insights to applications in PEMFCs, covering the oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) mechanism, the nature of active sites and its effect on the intrinsic activity, the rational design of catalyst layer, the electrocatalysts performances in PEMFCs and their durability in operating conditions. This review provides a global picture of the current research state in the field of PEMFCs electrocatalysts, focusing onto the two most important types of cathode materials and aiming to shed light on the potential of Fe-N-Cs as replacement for Pt-based catalysts along with pointing out the research directions toward the next generation of PEMFCs.
Domaines
Chimie
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