Functionalization and characterization of supports for catalysts in fuel cells

Since the increasing demand for energy along with the need to limit climate change are very crucial topics over the last years, the importance of research and improvement on systems like fuel cells rises. In this work, we focused on three commercial carbon materials used as support for Pt/C fuel cell catalysts. We performed an oxidation and nitrogen doping along with a characterization of all materials. Afterwards we deposited platinum and tested them as oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) catalysts. Our results show that there are different parameters of the supports influencing the synthesis and performance of the ORR catalysts. Additionally, the influence of the two functionalizations on the support and catalyst properties is presented. From this, we can conclude that the selection and treatment of the carbon support is important for the performance of the catalyst and should not be overlooked while improving the fuel cell systems.