Effect of Ti sublayer on the ORR catalytic efficiency of dc magnetron sputtered thin Pt films


ÖZTÜRK O., ÖZDEMİR O. K., ULUSOY I., AHSEN A. Ş., Slavcheva E.

INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF HYDROGEN ENERGY, vol.35, no.10, pp.4466-4473, 2010 (SCI-Expanded) identifier identifier

  • Publication Type: Article / Article
  • Volume: 35 Issue: 10
  • Publication Date: 2010
  • Doi Number: 10.1016/j.ijhydene.2010.02.077
  • Journal Name: INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF HYDROGEN ENERGY
  • Journal Indexes: Science Citation Index Expanded (SCI-EXPANDED), Scopus
  • Page Numbers: pp.4466-4473
  • Keywords: Electrocatalysis, ORR, Sputtered Pt films, Ti, PEMFC, PEM FUEL-CELL, OXYGEN REDUCTION, PERFORMANCE, PLATINUM, ELECTRODES, DEPENDENCE, DEPOSITION
  • Yıldız Technical University Affiliated: Yes

Abstract

A series of thin Pt films were deposited by dc magnetron sputtering directly on a commercial hydrophobic carbon paper substrate having a thin microporous Vulcan-XC72 layer or upon a thin Ti sublayer sputtered on the top of the microporous carbon film. The electrocatalytic properties of the sputtered Pt films toward the oxygen reduction reaction were investigated in 0.5 M H2SO4 solution and in a hydrogen PEM fuel cell. The catalyst with ultralow Pt loading of 22 mu g cm(-2) deposited on a 33 angstrom thick Ti sublayer is robust, mechanically stable, possesses highly developed surface area and improved catalytic efficiency. Its performance as a MEA cathode in a single hydrogen PEM fuel cell (577 mA cm(-2) at 0.4 V cell voltages and a maximum power of 0.954W) proved to be much superior compared to that of MEA with the same cathode Pt loading but without Ti sublayer (173 mA cm(-2) at 0.4 V, 0.231W, respectively). (C) 2010 Professor T. Nejat Veziroglu. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.