Synthesis and performance of platinum supported on ordered mesoporous carbons as catalyst for PEM fuel cells: Effect of the surface chemistry of the support

Platinum electrocatalysts supported on ordered mesoporous carbon (CMK-3) have been prepared as alternative catalysts for PEM fuel cells. Their performance has been compared with that of a commercial Pt-carbon black on carbon cloth electrode (E-TEK) for the hydrogen oxidation in a PEM single cell. Ordered mesoporous carbon was synthesized using nanocasting method and then platinum was deposited by incipient wetness impregnation. Before the platinum deposition, carbon support was functionalized using HNO3 as oxidizing agent to modify its surface chemistry. The characterization study of the electrocatalysts demonstrated that the surface chemistry of the support has an important effect on both the physicochemical and electrochemical properties of electrocatalysts. For this catalyst synthesis method, functionalization did not improve the preparation of the catalyst, since the presence of surface oxygen groups facilitated the aggregation of metal particles. However, the Pt/CMK-3 based electrodes showed a better performance than the commercial one, which could be attributed to the porous structure of the support.