Enhancing stability and efficiency of oxygen reduction reaction in polymer electrolyte fuel cells with high surface area mesoporous carbon synthesized from spent mushroom compost. Issue 4 (6th March 2019)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Dhanasekaran, P.; Shukla, Avanish; Krishnan, K. Navaneetha; Rongrin, Ibadahunshisha; Selvaganesh, S. Vinod; Kalpana, D.; Bhat, S. D.
• Is Part Of: Sustainable energy & fuels. Volume 3:Issue 4(2019)
• Page Start: 1012
• Page End: 1023
• Publication Date: 2019-03-06
• Subjects: Renewable energy sources -- Periodicals; Fuel cells -- Periodicals; Electric batteries -- Periodicals; Electrochemistry -- Periodicals; 660.297
• DOI: 10.1039/c8se00520f
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 2398-4902

Abstract

Abstract : Activated mesoporous carbon obtained from spent mushroom compost as a catalyst support provides enhanced long-term durability during the oxygen reduction reaction. Abstract : Mesoporous carbon (MC) synthesized from spent mushroom compost is realized as a durable support for Pt to efficiently enhance the oxygen reduction reaction in polymer electrolyte fuel cells. The spent mushroom compost heat-treated at 800 °C to form mesoporous carbon (MC-800) shows a higher BET surface area of 690 m 2 g −1 compared to other MC. Pt impregnated on MC-800 shows superior electrochemical surface area and oxygen reduction activity in comparison with Pt/C. In addition, during the durability test carried out between 0.6 and 1.2 V, the MC-800 supported Pt electrocatalyst exhibits the ORR activity with higher limiting current and 20 mV positive onset potential shift in comparison with Pt/C, even after 10 000 potential cycles. Further, the fuel cell assembly comprising thin metal loading (150 μg cm −2 ) of Pt/MC-800 electrocatalyst as the cathode delivers superior peak power density and retains more than 40% of the initial cell performance as compared to Pt/C, even under stringent durability test conditions between 1 and 1.6 V vs. DHE.