Enhanced stability of Pt electrocatalysts by nitrogen doping in CNTs for PEM fuel cells

Electrochemical stabilities of Pt deposited on carbon nanotubes (CNTs) and nitrogen-doped carbon nanotubes (CNx) of different nitrogen contents are compared with accelerated durability tests (ADT) for the first time. Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) images reveal the different structures of CNTs and CNx, and the decrease of Pt particle size with the nitrogen incorporation into CNTs. Based on the loss of electrochemical surface area (ESA) and TEM images, Pt/CNx exhibited much higher stability than Pt/CNTs, and the Pt stability increases with the increase of nitrogen contents in the CNx supports.