Integration of a Pd-CeO<sub>2</sub>/C Anode with Pt and Pt-Free Cathode Catalysts in High Power Density Anion Exchange Membrane Fuel Cells
Hamish A. Miller, Maria V. Pagliaro, Marco Bellini, Francesco Bàrtoli, Lianqin Wang, Ihtasham Salam, John R. Varcoe, Francesco Vizza
Abstract
Recent advances in developing high-performance anion exchange membranes (AEMs) for fuel cell (AEMFC) applications enable catalyst developers to investigate and test cheaper and/or more sustainable materials under operando fuel cell conditions. In this article, we integrate a high-performance Pd-CeO2/C hydrogen oxidation reaction (HOR) catalyst into AEMFCs in combination with different Pt and Pt-free cathodes. A H2/O2 AEMFC peak power performance of 2 W cm–2 at 80 °C is obtained when using a Pt/C cathode (2 A cm–2 is achieved at a cell voltage of 0.6 V), which translates to 1 W cm–2 peak power density (0.7 A cm–2 is achieved at 0.6 V) at 60 °C with the switch to a cheap, critical raw material (CRM)-free Fe/C cathode catalyst.