| dc.description | This thesis is focused on fuel cells using hydrogen, methanol and ethanol as fuel. Also, in the method of preparation of catalytic material for the anode: Supercritical Fluid Deposition (SFD) and impregnation method using ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid (EDTA) as a chelating agent.
The first part of the thesis describes the general knowledge about Polymer Exchange Membrane Fuel Cell (PEMFC),Direct Methanol Fuel Cell (DMFC) and Direct Ethanol Fuel Cell (DEFC), as well as the properties of Cerium and CeO2 (Ceria).
The second part of the thesis describes the preparation of catalytic material by Supercritical Fluid Deposition (SFD). SFD was utilized to deposit Pt and ceria simultaneously onto gas diffusion layers. In order to examine the influence of fabrication techniques employed in catalyst layer formations on overall performance, single cell tests were conducted using a direct methanol fuel cell with Pt/C anode catalyst layers prepared using conventional paint methods and compared with results for the thin layers prepared using SFD under similar experimental conditions. The results are that the DMFC single cell tests made with anode catalyst layers fabricated via SFD technique exhibited better performance both at room temperature and at 60 °C and compared to anode catalyst layers made by conventional route. Further, the Pt-ceria catalyst deposited by SFD exhibited higher methanol oxidation activity compared to the platinum catalyst alone. Thus, both the method of deposition as well as control of composition is important factors. The linear sweep traces of the cathode made for the methanol cross over study indicate that Pt-Ceria/C as the anode catalyst, due to its better activity for methanol,
improves the fuel utilization, minimizing the methanol permeation from anode to cathode compartment.
The third and four parts of the thesis describe the preparation of material catalytic material Carbon-Platinum-Cerium by a simple and cheap impregnation method using ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid (EDTA) as a chelating agent to form a complex with cerium (III). This preparation method allows the mass production of the material catalysts without additional significant cost. The final catalyst showed a very good dispersion of the particles in the nanoscale level. Fuel cell polarization and power curves experiments showed that the Carbon-Platinum-Cerium anode materials exhibited better catalytic activity than the only Vulcan-Pt catalysts for DMFC, DEFC and PEMFC. In the case of Vulcan-20%Pt-5%w Cerium, this material exhibits better catalytic activity than the Vulcan-20%Pt in Direct Methanol Fuel Cell. In the case of Vulcan-40% Pt-doped Cerium, this material exhibits better catalytic activity than the Vulcan-40% Pt in Direct Methanol Fuel Cell, Direct Ethanol Fuel Cell and Hydrogen Polymer Electrolyte Membrane Fuel Cell.
Finally, I propose a theory that explains the reason why the carbon-platinum-cerium has better catalytic activity than platinum-carbon. Due to the hybridization behavior of C and Ce could arise charge transfer, both carbon and cerium to the Platinum. Ce-C→Pt charge transfer could occur at the Ce-C/Pt interface. Thus, results in an increase in the catalytic activity of platinum-cerium-carbon when compared with carbon-platinum. | |
