Improving the hydrogen oxidation reaction rate by promotion of hydroxyl adsorption
Author: ["Dusan Strmcnik","Masanobu Uchimura","Chao Wang","Ram Subbaraman","Nemanja Danilovic","Dennis van der Vliet","Arvydas P. Paulikas","Vojislav R. Stamenkovic","Nenad M. Markovic"]
Publication: Nature Chemistry
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Abstract
The development of hydrogen-based energy sources as viable alternatives to fossil-fuel technologies has revolutionized clean energy production using fuel cells. However, to date, the slow rate of the hydrogen oxidation reaction (HOR) in alkaline environments has hindered advances in alkaline fuel cell systems. Here, we address this by studying the trends in the activity of the HOR in alkaline environments. We demonstrate that it can be enhanced more than fivefold compared to state-of-the-art platinum catalysts. The maximum activity is found for materials (Ir and Pt0.1Ru0.9) with an optimal balance between the active sites that are required for the adsorption/dissociation of H2 and for the adsorption of hydroxyl species (OHad). We propose that the more oxophilic sites on Ir (defects) and PtRu material (Ru atoms) electrodes facilitate the adsorption of OHad species. Those then react with the hydrogen intermediates (Had) that are adsorbed on more noble surface sites. Hydrogen is an attractive alternative to fossil fuels, but the slow rate of the hydrogen oxidation reaction in alkaline fuel cells hinders their development. It is now proposed that bifunctional materials can be devised to offer the optimal balance between hydrogen and hydroxyl adsorption, thus significantly reducing the amount of precious metal on the anode.
Cite this article
Strmcnik, D., Uchimura, M., Wang, C. et al. Improving the hydrogen oxidation reaction rate by promotion of hydroxyl adsorption. Nature Chem 5, 300–306 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1038/nchem.1574
