Fuel cell electrocatalyst of Pt-Zn-Ni/Fe
View Patent ↗A fuel cell catalyst containing platinum, zinc, and at least one of nickel and iron.
1. An alloy capable of being used as a catalyst in oxidation or reduction reactions, the alloy comprising platinum, zinc and iron, wherein a concentration of platinum is between about 32 and about 50 atomic percent, a concentration of zinc that is between about 24 and about 35 atomic percent, and a concentration of iron is between about 20 and about 60 atomic percent.
2. An alloy capable of being used as a catalyst in oxidation or reduction reactions, the alloy comprising platinum, zinc and iron, wherein a concentration of platinum is between about 40 and about 60 atomic percent, a concentration of zinc is between 24 and about 30 atomic percent, and a concentration of iron is between about 25 and about 50 atomic percent.
3. The alloy of claim 1 or 2 consisting essentially of platinum, zinc, and iron.
4. A fuel cell electrode, the fuel cell electrode comprising electrocatalyst particles and an electrode substrate upon which the electrocatalyst particles are deposited, the electrocatalyst particles comprising the alloy of claim 1 or 2 .
5. The fuel cell electrode of claim 4 wherein the electrocatalyst particles comprise electrically conductive support particles upon which the alloy is dispersed.
6. The fuel cell electrode of claim 5 wherein the electrically conductive support particles are selected from the group consisting of carbon supports and electrically conductive polymer supports.
7. A fuel cell comprising an anode, a cathode, a proton exchange membrane between the anode and the cathode, and the alloy of claim 1 or 2 as a catalyst for the catalytic oxidation of a hydrogen-containing fuel or the catalytic reduction of oxygen.
8. The fuel cell of claim 7 wherein the alloy is dispersed on electrically conductive support particles.
9. The fuel cell of claim 7 wherein the alloy is on the surface of the anode and in contact with the proton exchange membrane.
10. The fuel cell of claim 7 wherein the alloy is on the surface of the proton exchange membrane and in contact with the cathode.
11. The fuel cell of claim 7 wherein the alloy is on the surface of the cathode and in contact with the proton exchange membrane.
12. The alloy of claim 1 or 2 wherein the zinc concentration is at least 29 atomic %.
13. The alloy of claim 1 wherein the concentration of the iron is at least 25 atomic %.
14. The alloy of claim 1 or 2 wherein the alloy is a particulate material.
15. The alloy of claim 1 or 2 wherein the alloy is supported on electrically conductive carbon support particles.
16. The alloy of claim 1 or 2 wherein the alloy is supported on electrically conductive polymer supports.
17. The alloy of claim 1 or 2 wherein the alloy is on the surface of a proton exchange membrane and in contact with a fuel cell anode.
18. The alloy of claim 1 or 2 wherein the alloy is an unsupported catalyst layer on a surface of an electrolyte membrane or on a surface of an electrode.
19. A method for the electrochemical conversion of a hydrogen-containing fuel and oxygen to reaction products and electricity in a fuel cell comprising an anode, a cathode, a proton exchange membrane therebetween, the alloy of claim 1 or 2 , and an electrically conductive external circuit connecting the anode and cathode, the method comprising contacting the hydrogen-containing fuel or the oxygen and the alloy to catalytically oxidize the hydrogen-containing fuel or catalytically reduce the oxygen.