Preparation of catalyst for a polymer electrolyte fuel cell using a novel spherical carbon support

In this study, the support Pt catalyst was supported by a novel spherical carbon using a convenient technique. Two different preparation methods utilizing a nanocolloidal solution method without heat treatment were developed (methods 1 and 2). The scanning electron microscope (SEM) and transmission electron microscope (TEM) observations showed that the Pt nanoparticles (particle size) were supported, with higher dispersion being achieved with method 2 than method 1. The peak of the Pt metal was confirmed from the X-ray diffraction (XRD) measurement. Based on the inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) measurements, Pt loading was 19.5 wt.% in method 1 and approximately 50 wt.% in method 2. The Pt specific surface area of the Pt/novel spherical carbon catalyst calculated from the cyclic voltammetry (CV) measurement result was larger than that of the commercially available Pt/Ketjen catalyst. These results indicated that the Pt nanoparticles were supported in high dispersion without heat treatment using novel spherical carbon as a carbon support.