The inclusion of Mo, Nb and Ta in Pt and PtRu carbon supported electrocatalysts in the quest for improved CO tolerant PEMFC anodes

The effect of the inclusion of Mo, Nb and Ta in Pt and PtRu carbon supported anode electrocatalysts on CO tolerance in proton exchange membrane fuel cells (PEMFC) has been investigated by cyclic voltammetry and fuel cell tests. CO stripping voltammetry on binary Pt_xM/C (M: Mo, Nb, Ta) reveals partial oxidation of the CO adlayer at low potential, with PtMo (4:1)/C exhibiting the lowest value. At 80 °C, the operating temperature of the fuel cell, CO oxidation was observed at potentials close to 0 V versus the reversible hydrogen electrode (RHE). No significant difference for CO electro-oxidation at the lower potential limit, compared to PtRu/C, was observed for PtRuM_y/C (M: Mo, Nb). Fuel cell tests demonstrated that while all the prepared catalysts exhibited enhanced performance compared to Pt/C, only the addition of a relatively small amount of Mo to PtRu results in an electrocatalyst with a higher activity, in the presence of carbon monoxide, to PtRu/C, the current catalyst of choice for PEM fuel cell applications.