The effect of low platinum loading on the efficiency of PEMFC’s electrocatalysts supported on TiO2–Nb, and SnO2–Nb: An experimental comparison between active and stable conditions

• SnO2–Nb, and TiO2–Nb thin films synthesized via sputtering.
• SnO2–Nb, and TiO2–Nb thin films applied as a Pt support in PEMFC.
• Low amount of Pt sputtered on supports as catalyst in cathode side.
• Fabricate a single cell and plot I–V curves.

Electrocatalyst supports have been demonstrated to strongly influence the cost, performance and durability of PEMFC systems, which have been among the heated research topics in the course of the past decades. However, the present support materials used in fuel cell stack are not adequately durable for commercialization. Development of active electrocatalyst with cost effectiveness and high durability is one of the main challenges. In this paper, titania and tin oxide nanoparticles doped nobidium were selected as thermo chemically stable and carbonless electrocatalyst supports. Low Pt loading (0.05 mg/cm2) is deposited on supports through sputtering method, and the structure, the distribution of nanoparticles, and the electrical resistivity were systematically analyzed. To make the studies of oxygen reduction reaction activity, catalytic stability and performance of PEMFC more precise, rotation disk electrode (RDE), cyclic voltammetry (CV), and single cell test were utilized. The data analysis of this study highlighted that SnO2–Nb–Pt depicted higher stability and better fuel cell performance in comparison with TiO2–Nb–Pt.