Nano Catalysts for Proton Exchange Membrane Fuel Cells

Proton Exchange Membrane Fuel Cells (PEMFCs) have been of great interest particularly in the automobile industries because of their high energy density and low pollutant emission. However, some of the issues such as, the necessarily high contents of Pt catalysts and their slow kinetics of cathode oxygen reduction reaction remain as obstacles in the commercialization of the PEMFC. In this presentation, after brief explanation on basic principles of PEMFC and its application to FC vehicles, recent researches to improve the activity and durability of Pt-based nano catalysts toward oxygen reduction will be introduced. It covers size and shape control of Pt nano particle, binary and ternary Pt-M alloys, novel core-shell nano structures of Pt, and a little bit about non-Pt catalysts. Strategies and methodologies for design and synthesis of novel catalysts will also be included.