Prospective of Pd/MOx as Alternative Pt Anode Catalyst for Polymer Electrolyte Fuel Cell

The performances of anode Pd catalysts modified with metal oxides in CO-contaminated H-2 were investigated for polymer electrolyte fuel cell (PEFC). The catalysts were prepared by facile impregnation method and characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), Scanning Transmission Electron Microscope (STEM) and CO-stripping voltammetry. Comparison of both modified Pd anode with pure Pd/C and state-of-the-art Pt/C shows an improvement in the cell performance when 500 ppm CO/H-2 mixture is fed. The improvement was due to much smaller Pd particle size, which significantly increases the electrochemical surface area (ECSA). In principle, carbon-supported Pd modified with metal oxides catalyst has shown a possibility to replace the used of Pt as anode electrode for PEFC.