Highly Stable and CO-Tolerant Pt/Ti0.7W0.3O2 Electrocatalyst for Proton-Exchange Membrane Fuel Cells

The current materials used in proton-exchange membrane fuel cells (PEMFCs) are not sufficiently durable for commercial deployment. One of the major challenges lies in the development of an inexpensive, efficient, and CO-tolerant anode catalyst. Here we report the unique CO-tolerant property of Pt nanoparticles supported on Ti0.7W0.3O2. The Ti0.7W0.3O2 nanoparticles (50 nm) were synthesized via a sol-gel process and platinized using an impregnation-reduction technique. Electrochemical studies of Pt/Ti0.7W0.3O2 show unique CO-tolerant electrocatalytic activity for hydrogen oxidation compared to commercial E-TEK PtRu/C catalysts. Differential electrochemical mass spectrometry measurements show the onset potential for CO oxidation on Pt/Ti0.7W0.3O2 to be below 0.1 V (vs RHE). Pt/Ti0.7W0.3O2 is a promising new anode catalyst for PEMFC applications.