Intrinsically microporous polymer slows down fuel cell catalyst corrosion

• Accelerated corrosion testing with commercial Pt fuel cell catalyst shows that significantly slower corrosion occurs with PIM-EA-TB applied over the catalyst layer.
• Not only migration, Ostwald ripening, and deactivation of the Pt catalyst, but also slower carbon support degradation is observed and confirmed with microscopy.
• Microporosity of PIM-EA-TB allows unimpeded transport of reagents and products while protecting the catalyst.

The limited stability of fuel cell cathode catalysts causes a significant loss of operational cell voltage with commercial Pt-based catalysts, which hinders the wider commercialization of fuel cell technologies. We demonstrate beneficial effects of a highly rigid and porous polymer of intrinsic microporosity (PIM-EA-TB with BET surface area 1027 m2 g− 1) in accelerated catalyst corrosion experiments. Porous films of PIM-EA-TB offer an effective protective matrix for the prevention of Pt/C catalyst corrosion without impeding flux of reagents. The results of electrochemical cycling tests show that the PIM-EA-TB protected Pt/C (denoted here as PIM@Pt/C) exhibit a significantly enhanced durability as compared to a conventional Pt/C catalyst.

Figure optionsDownload as PowerPoint slide