Electro-catalytic activity of enhanced CO tolerant cerium-promoted Pt/C catalyst for PEM fuel cell anode

Cerium-promoted Pt/C catalysts were prepared by one-pot synthesis process and applied as an anode material for CO tolerance in PEM fuel cell. Its physical properties were characterized by XRD and TEM techniques, which indicated that Pt nano-particles are highly dispersed on the carbon supports. The investigation focused on examining the CO tolerance in sulfur acid solution of Pt–CeO2/C compared to Pt/C (JM). The hydrogen oxidation activity was strongly depended on the content of the cerium in the Pt catalyst which was detected by CV, LSV, CO-stripping and EIS techniques. Effect of the anode catalyst poisoning on hydrogen oxidation in the presence of CO was studied in single cells. Pt–CeO2/C catalyst at the appropriate content of 20% Ce presented a very higher CO tolerant activity. A tentative mechanism is proposed for a possible role of a bi-functional synergistic effect between Pt and CeO2 for the enhanced electro-oxidation of CO. CeO2-promoted Pt/C catalyst may be one of the attractive candidates as CO tolerance anode material in PEMFC.