(Plenary) Substrate Effects on the Activity and Stability of Nanoparticulated Electrocatalysts for the H 2 /O 2 Fuel Cell Reactions

Among the hydrogen fuelled systems, the proton exchange membrane (PEM) and the alkaline (AFC) fuel cells appear as most adequate candidates for applications in automotive, portable or stationary devices. However, significant efforts still have to be done regarding the limitations introduced by the slow oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) kinetics and the poisoning of the anode by CO or other contaminants, particularly when the hydrogen is produced by the reforming or dehydrogenation of other fuels. In this work, the performance and stability of platinum-based catalysts supported on carbon with or without tungsten or molybdenum carbides/oxides were investigated for the oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) in acid and alkaline electrolytes and hydrogen oxidation reaction (HOR) in the presence of CO in PEM single cells.