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Nanoporous Metals for Fuel Cell Applications

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Nanoporous Metals for Advanced Energy Technologies

Abstract

Among various green energy technologies, proton exchange membrane fuel cells (PEMFCs) allow highly efficient direct conversion of chemical energies in chemical fuels to electricity. With low or even zero emissions, fuel cells have been attracting worldwide attention for decades. However, the commercialization of fuel cell technologies has been hampered mainly by the heavy demand on Pt electrocatalysts, which are not only expensive, but resource limited as well. In this chapter, we will discuss the structure and electrochemical properties of dealloyed nanoporous metals with an emphasis on their potential for fuel cell applications. As the first example, nanoporous gold (NPG) can be made into very thin freestanding membranes by etching commercially available white gold leaves in an appropriate electrolyte. This material itself is catalytically active for a series of electrode reactions, and upon further surface functionalization, NPG leaf-based electrocatalysts can demonstrate unique structural advantages that are crucial to fuel cell electrodes, such as high surface area, high electric conductivity, high durability, and high precious metal utilization. After the discussion of Pt–NPG leaves for low Pt hydrogen fuel cells, we will discuss in detail how to rationally design ultralow Pt loading, yet highly active and stable electrocatalysts used for direct formic acid fuel cells (DFAFCs), based on the understanding of electrode reactions at the molecular level and a series of high-precision surface modification techniques. Besides, we will review the recent progresses in the design and processing of nanoporous alloy electrocatalysts. By selecting the proper composition of precursor multielement alloys and suitable dealloying conditions, a wide variety of nanoporous alloy materials can be produced with tunable surface area and chemical states. When coupled with other fabrication techniques, the dealloying method becomes a versatile tool for the construction of nanoporous electrodes for anodic oxidation of small organic molecules or cathodic reaction of oxygen in acidic or alkaline solutions. Finally, we will end this chapter with conclusion and future perspectives.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Institute for New Energy Materials and Low-Carbon Technologies, Tianjin University of Technology, Tianjin, China

    Yi Ding

  2. School of Materials Science and Engineering, Shandong University, Jinan, China

    Zhonghua Zhang

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  1. Yi Ding
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  2. Zhonghua Zhang
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Ding, Y., Zhang, Z. (2016). Nanoporous Metals for Fuel Cell Applications. In: Nanoporous Metals for Advanced Energy Technologies. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-29749-1_3

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