One-dimensional nanostructured electrocatalysts for polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cells-A review

Recent research on one-dimensional (1D) nanostructured materials brings in tremendous progress on their application as catalysts in polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cells (PEMFCs). The desired 1D nanomaterials with tailored morphology, structure and composition can potentially address many drawbacks faced by conventional Pt/C catalysts. However, their application in practical fuel cell electrodes still faces big challenge due to their unusual morphology and bulky volume. This review focuses on the recent progress from 2010 in 1D electrocatalysts for oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) and hydrocarbon (methanol, ethanol and formic acid) oxidation reaction in PEMFCs, covering Pt-based and non-Pt precious metal nanostructures, as well as non-precious metal catalysts (NPMCs). The correlations between the morphology, composition and catalytic properties of these catalysts are discussed. Critical perspectives are devoted to the increasing gap between the pure materials research and the fuel cell development in this emerging research area (222 references). (C) 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.