V-doped TiO2 supported Pt as a promising oxygen reduction reaction catalyst: Synthesis, characterization and in-situ evaluation in proton exchange membrane fuel cell.

This study deals with the synthesis and characterization of V-doped, TiO 2 supported Pt catalyst (Pt/V-TiO 2 ) for oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) and its in-situ performance investigation in proton exchange membrane (PEM) fuel cell. Pt/V-TiO 2 nanocomposite catalyst is prepared via a facile sol-gel and microwave assisted, modified chemical reduction route and its performance is compared with the undoped TiO 2 supported catalyst, Pt/TiO 2 prepared in an identical way. The prepared Pt/V-TiO 2 and Pt/TiO 2 catalysts are employed as cathode catalyst in PEM fuel cell and compared with standard Pt/C catalyst. Their comparative studies are conducted with physical and electrochemical techniques. In-situ electrochemical characterization studies show improved ORR catalytic activity of Pt/V-TiO 2 compared to Pt/TiO 2 . Furthermore, both Pt/TiO 2 and Pt/V-TiO 2 are more stable than Pt/C when subjected to 6000 voltammetric cycles in the range of 0.2–1.2 V vs . standard hydrogen electrode in operating fuel cell conditions, losing only <20% of its electrochemical surface area as compared to 50% loss exhibited by Pt/C. This study thus demonstrates Pt/V-TiO 2 nanocomposite material as a potential cathode catalyst for PEM fuel cell with immense scope for further investigation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]