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Inorganics
Special Issues
Inorganic Materials for Fuel Cell Electrocatalysts
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Inorganic Materials for Fuel Cell Electrocatalysts

A special issue of Inorganics (ISSN 2304-6740). This special issue belongs to the section "Inorganic Solid-State Chemistry".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (15 December 2022) | Viewed by 7645

Special Issue Editors

Prof. Dr. Qinggang He

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
College of Chemical and Biological Engineering, Zhejiang University, 38 Zheda Rd., Hangzhou 310027, China
Interests: fuel cell; electrocatalysis; interfacial phenomena; in situ electrochemical characterization
Prof. Dr. Shaowei Chen

grade E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of California, Santa Cruz, CA 95064, USA
Interests: ords chemistry; material science; energy
Prof. Dr. Zidong Wei

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Chongqing University, Chongqing 401331, China
Interests: electrochemical reaction engineering; molecular catalysis; new energy material chemistry

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

With the sharp increase in the consumption of limited fossil fuels, the issues of serious air pollution and energy shortages have gained global attention, and the development of sustainable and clean energy conversion technologies has become a priority. Among these various technologies, methods, and electrochemical devices, fuel cells have been recognized as the most promising candidate for stationary, portable, and automotive objects, while low efficiency, unsatisfactory stability, and high investment costs limit the real application of fuel cells. The exploration of advanced and high-performance electrocatalysts is one of the most crucial key factors in the commercialization of fuel cells. Along this theme, inorganic materials have been intensively used as fuel cell electrocatalysts because of their significant advantages, such as their large surface area, abundant active sites, and excellent electrocatalytic activity and stability.

This Special Issue will be centered on providing key insights in achieving highly active, stable, and sustainable inorganic materials for fuel cell electrocatalysts. The development of inorganic electrocatalysts will facilitate and boost future research to accelerate the advancement of fuel cell technologies. Therefore, we invite papers on the exploration and investigation of innovative inorganic electrocatalysts and their integration in highly efficient fuel cells.

Prof. Dr. Qinggang He
Prof. Dr. Shaowei Chen
Prof. Dr. Zidong Wei
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

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Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Inorganics is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2700 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • inorganic materials
  • fuel cells
  • electrocatalysts
  • oxygen reduction reaction
  • hydrogen oxidation reaction
  • functional carbon-based catalysts
  • metal and metal alloys
  • support
  • durability

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Published Papers (3 papers)

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Research

9 pages, 2350 KiB  
Article
Electrochemical Activation and Its Prolonged Effect on the Durability of Bimetallic Pt-Based Electrocatalysts for PEMFCs
by Angelina Pavlets, Ilya Pankov and Anastasia Alekseenko
Inorganics 2023, 11(1), 45; https://doi.org/10.3390/inorganics11010045 - 16 Jan 2023
Cited by 3 | Viewed by 1767
Abstract
The present study, concerned with high-performance ORR catalysts, may be a valuable resource for a wide range of researchers within the fields of nanomaterials, electrocatalysis, and hydrogen energy. The objects of the research are electrocatalysts based on platinum–copper nanoparticles with onion-like and solid-solution [...] Read more.
The present study, concerned with high-performance ORR catalysts, may be a valuable resource for a wide range of researchers within the fields of nanomaterials, electrocatalysis, and hydrogen energy. The objects of the research are electrocatalysts based on platinum–copper nanoparticles with onion-like and solid-solution structures. To evaluate the functional characteristics of the catalysts, the XRD, XRF, TEM, HAADF-STEM, and EDX methods, as well as the voltammetry method on a rotating disk electrode have been used. This work draws the attention of researchers to the significance of applying a protocol of electrochemically activating bimetallic catalysts in terms of the study of their functional characteristics on the rotating disk electrode. The choice of the potential range during the pre-cycling stage has been shown to play a crucial role in maintaining the durability of the catalysts. The activation of the PtCu/C catalyst during cycling of up to 1.0 V allows for an increase in the durability of the catalysts with onion-like and solid-solution structures of nanoparticles by 28% and 23%, respectively, as compared with activation of up to 1.2 V. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Inorganic Materials for Fuel Cell Electrocatalysts)
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9 pages, 4180 KiB  
Article
MOF Derived Manganese Oxides Nanospheres Embedded in N-Doped Carbon for Oxygen Reduction Reaction
by Zhibin Zhang, Ge Huo, Fengzhan Si, Xian-Zhu Fu, Shao-Qing Liu and Jing-Li Luo
Inorganics 2022, 10(9), 126; https://doi.org/10.3390/inorganics10090126 - 28 Aug 2022
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1990
Abstract
Manganese oxides (MnOx) have been regarded as promising catalyst candidates for oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) due to their natural abundance and extremely low toxicity. However, the intrinsic low conductivity of MnOx limits their application. In this work, Mn oxide embedded [...] Read more.
Manganese oxides (MnOx) have been regarded as promising catalyst candidates for oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) due to their natural abundance and extremely low toxicity. However, the intrinsic low conductivity of MnOx limits their application. In this work, Mn oxide embedded in N doped porous carbon (MnOx@C-N) electrocatalysts were prepared through a facile zeolitic imidazolate framework (ZIF-8) template method for ORR. The structure, morphology, and composition of the prepared materials were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). Electrocatalytic performances of the prepared materials were investigated by linear sweep voltammetry. Benefiting from the well-defined morphology, high surface area, and porous structure, the MnOx@C-N electrocatalyst showed the highest ORR activity among all investigated materials with the limiting current density of 5.38 mA/cm2 at a rotation speed of 1600 rpm, the positive half-wave potential of 0.645 V vs. RHE, and the electron transfer number of 3.90. This work showcases an effective strategy to enhance ORR activity of MnOx. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Inorganic Materials for Fuel Cell Electrocatalysts)
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Figure 1

9 pages, 2164 KiB  
Article
Nitrogen-Doped Carbon Flowers with Fe and Ni Dual Metal Centers for Effective Electroreduction of Oxygen
by Rene Mercado, Forrest Nichols and Shaowei Chen
Inorganics 2022, 10(3), 36; https://doi.org/10.3390/inorganics10030036 - 11 Mar 2022
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 2319
Abstract
Carbon-based nanocomposites have been attracting extensive attention as high-performance catalysts in alkaline media towards the electrochemical reduction of oxygen. Herein, polyacrylonitrile nanoflowers are synthesized via a free-radical polymerization route and used as a structural scaffold and precursor, whereby controlled pyrolysis leads to the [...] Read more.
Carbon-based nanocomposites have been attracting extensive attention as high-performance catalysts in alkaline media towards the electrochemical reduction of oxygen. Herein, polyacrylonitrile nanoflowers are synthesized via a free-radical polymerization route and used as a structural scaffold and precursor, whereby controlled pyrolysis leads to the ready preparation of carbon nanocomposites (FeNi-NCF) doped with both metal (Fe and Ni) and nonmetal (N) elements. Transmission electron microscopy studies show that the FeNi-NCF composites retain the flower-like morphology, with the metal species atomically dispersed into the flaky carbon petals. Remarkably, despite a similar structure, elemental composition, and total metal content, the FeNi-NCF sample with a high Fe:Ni ratio exhibits an electrocatalytic performance towards oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) in alkaline media that is similar to that by commercial Pt/C, likely due to the Ni to Fe electron transfer that promotes the adsorption and eventual reduction of oxygen, as evidenced in X-ray photoelectron spectroscopic measurements. Results from this study underline the importance of the electronic properties of metal dopants in the manipulation of the ORR activity of carbon nanocomposites. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Inorganic Materials for Fuel Cell Electrocatalysts)
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