Partially oxidized titanium carbonitride as a non-noble catalyst for oxygen reduction reactions

Partially oxidized titanium carbonitride (TiCNO), newly synthesized from partial oxidation of TiC0.5N0.5 powder under a flow rate of 500 cm(3) min(-1) of nitrogen containing 4% H-2 and 0.5% O-2 by volume at 800 degrees C for 20 h, is examined as a non-platinum cathode for polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cells (PEMFCs). TiCNO shows significantly enhanced electrocatalytic activity for the oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) compared with as-prepared TiC0.5N0.5 and fully oxidized TiO2. In addition, TiCNO has a high chemical stability in 0.1 mol dm(-3) sulfuric acid at 30 degrees C. Copyright (C) 2012, Hydrogen Energy Publications, LLC. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.