Microwave synthesis of platinum catalyst on fluorine-doped carbon foam for proton exchange membrane fuel cell: Half-Cell and single-cell evaluation

Fluorinated carbon foam (F-CF) is synthesized via one-pot pyrolysis of polytetrafluoroethylene polypropylene (PTFE), and Pt nanoparticles are deposited onto it (Pt/F-CF) using microwave-assisted synthesis (1 min). The resulting material and its components are characterized by field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM), energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), and Brunauer-Emmett-Teller (BET) analysis. Electrochemical tests are performed in acidic media using a half-cell configuration with a gas diffusion electrode (GDL) pressed with Nafion 212, and in a proton exchange membrane fuel cell (PEMFC) single-cell configuration with a Pt/F-CF cathode and a standard Pt/C anode. Compared to the standard catalyst, the Pt/F-CF catalyst exhibits a higher electrochemically active surface area (ECSA) of 66 m2/g, a half-wave potential (E1/2) of 0.88 V, and good performance in both air and O2, despite its lower Pt loading. Moreover, the GDL-based Pt/F-CF catalyst demonstrates significantly reduced mass transfer resistance (33 % lower than the standard catalyst), as shown by impedance spectroscopy and polarization curve analysis. Notably, the Pt/F-CF catalyst exhibits a single-cell power density around 0.494 W/cm2, which is higher than that of Pt/C (0.415 W/cm2), highlighting the beneficial role of fluorine in O2 dissociation, and O2 capture within PEMFCs.