New Carbon Nanofiber Composite Materials Containing Lanthanides and Transition Metals Based on Electrospun Polyacrylonitrile for High Temperature Polymer Electrolyte Membrane Fuel Cell Cathodes.

Electrospinning of polyacrylonitrile/DMF dopes containing salts of nickel, cobalt, zirconium, cerium, gadolinium, and samarium, makes it possible to obtain precursor nanofiber mats which can be subsequently converted into carbon nanofiber (CNF) composites by pyrolysis at 1000-1200 °C. Inorganic additives were found to be uniformly distributed in CNFs. Metal states were investigated by transmission electron microscopy and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). According to XPS in CNF/Zr/Ni/Gd composites pyrolyzed at 1000 °C, nickel exists as Ni0 and as Ni2+, gadolinium as Gd3+, and zirconium as Zr4+. If CNF/Zr/Ni/Gd is pyrolyzed at 1200 °C, nickel exists only as Ni0. For CNF/Sm/Co composite, samarium is in Sm3+ form when cobalt is not found on a surface. For CNF/Zr/Ni/Ce composite, cerium exists both as Ce4+ and as Ce3+. Composite CNF mats were platinized and tested as cathodes in high-temperature polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cell (HT-PEMFC). Such approach allows to introduce Pt-M and Pt-MOx into CNF, which are more durable compared to carbon black under HT-PEMFC operation. For CNF/Zr/Ni/Gd composite cathode, higher performance in the HT-PEMFC at I >1.2 A cm-2 is achieved due to elimination of mass transfer losses in gas-diffusion electrode compared to commercial Celtec®P1000.

Preparation and thermal treatment influence on Pt-decorated electrospun carbon nanofiber electrocatalysts.

Crystalline platinum nanoparticles supported on carbon nanofibers were synthesized for use as an electrocatalyst for polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cells. The nanofibers were prepared by a method of electrospinning from polymer solution with subsequent pyrolysis. Pt nanoneedles supported on polyacrylonitrile pyrolyzed electrospun nanofibers were synthesized by chemical reduction of H2[PtCl6] in aqueous solution. The synthesized electrocatalysts were investigated using scanning, high resolution transmission and scanning transmission electron microscopies, EDX analysis and electron diffraction. The shape and the size of the electrocatalyst crystal Pt nanoparticles were controled and found to depend on the method of H2[PtCl6] reduction type and on conditions of subsequent thermal treatment. Soft Pt reduction by formic acid followed by 100 °C thermal treatment produced needle-shape Pt nanoparticles with a needle length up to 25 nm and diameter up to 5 nm. Thermal treatment of these nanoparticles at 500 °C resulted in partial sintering of the Pt needles. When formic acid was added after 24 h from the beginning of platinization, Pt reduction resulted in small-size spherical Pt nanoparticle of less than 10 nm in diameter. Reduction of H2[PtCl6], preadsorbed on electrospun nanofibers in formic acid with further treatment in H2 flow at 500 °C, resulted in intensive sintering of platinum particles, with formation of conglomerates of 50 nm in size, however, individual particles still retain a size of less than 10 nm. Electrochemically active surface area (ECSA) of Pt/C catalyst was measured by electrochemical hydrogen adsorption/desorption measurements in 0.5 M H2SO4. ECSA of needle-shape Pt nanoparticles was 25 m2 g-1. It increased up to 31 m2 g-1 after thermal treatment at 500 °C, likely, due to amorphous structures removal from carbon nanofibers and retaining of Pt nanoneedle morphology. ECSA of small-size spherical Pt nanoparticles was 26 m2 g-1. Further thermal treatment at 500 °C in vacuum decreased ECSA down to 20 m2 g-1 due to Pt sintering and Pt active sites deactivation. The thermal treatment of small-size spherical Pt nanoparticles in H2 flow at 500 °C produced agglomerates of Pt nanoparticles with ECSA of 14 m2 g-1.