Gold nanoparticles decorated carbon nano-materials wrapped cobalt particles based catalysts for proton exchange membrane (PEM) fuel cell

This study investigates into the evaluation of a novel electrode material's potential for proton exchange membrane (PEM) fuel cells. Three electrodes (Samples 1, 2, & 3), consists of different combinations of Au nanoparticles decorated carbon nanomaterials supported on Co particles, have been synthesized for PEM fuel cell application. Graphene nanoribbons (GNRs) and nitrogen-doped graphene nanoribbons (N:GNRs) serve as the carbon nanomaterials used in fabricating three different composite configurations: Au-GNRs@Co, Au-N:GNRs@Co, and Au-(GNRs+N:GNRs)@Co. The desired composite materials have been successfully realized by employing a unique synthesis approach. Characterization of all three electrodes has been conducted using various techniques, including scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD), and Raman spectroscopy, validating the effective synthesis of nanomaterials. The combined cyclic voltammetry (CV), linear sweep voltammetry (LSV), rotating disk electrode (RDE), stability test analyses indicate and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) reveal that while Au-(GNRs+N:GNRs)@Co exhibits superior intrinsic ORR activity in ex-situ RDE measurements, Au-N:GNRs@Co delivers the highest in-situ PEM fuel cell power density of 0.4 W cm−2 and superior operational stability, among all three PEM fuel cells evaluated. This study highlights the potential of the Au-N:GNRs@Co composite as a cost-effective alternative to Pt/C catalysts for PEM fuel cell applications.