Preparation and characterisation of inorganic nanostructured support materials for polymer electrolyte fuel cells

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dc.contributor.advisorLevecque, Pieter B Jen_ZA
dc.contributor.advisorSchwanitz, Bernhard Wen_ZA
dc.contributor.authorSeptember, Caelin Geeen_ZA
dc.date.accessioned2016-06-24T06:32:13Z
dc.date.available2016-06-24T06:32:13Z
dc.date.issued2015en_ZA
dc.description.abstractPolymer electrolyte fuel cells (PEFCs) have been identified as a safe, clean and reliable alternative energy conversion technology to conventional, fossil fuel based, ones. However, the hindrance to worldwide commercialisation of this technology lies in the poor durability and high costs associated with the current carbon supported platinum (Pt/C) catalysts. Carbon support corrosion and Pt dissolution/aggregation on the catalyst layer within the fuel cell have been confirmed as the major contributors to the degradation of the Pt/C (Shao, et al., 2007). Attention needs to be paid to the improvement of catalyst components to produce an electrocatalyst with better degradation resistance and low Pt loading in order to overcome these two major commercialisation barriers. The physico-chemical and electronic interaction between the Pt catalyst and the support material play a crucial role in the catalytic activity and stability of the electrocatalysts (Wang, et al., 2011). A comprehensive understanding of the effects of catalyst support material and morphology on the mechanism and kinetics of the oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) needs to be developed. This study investigated alternative, novel catalyst support materials and structures for the catalyst layer as opposed to carbon for PEFC applications. This material consisted of TiB2 electrospun nanofibers, powder and crushed electrospun nanofibers. Methods used to reliably and accurately deposit Pt onto these materials were identified, developed and analysed. These methods include platinum deposited onto TiB2 powder, electrospun crushed nanofibers and nanofiber mats via DC magnetron sputter deposition and thermally induced chemical deposition (TICD). The synthesised catalysts were physically characterised using X-ray diffraction (XRD), Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM), Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) and Inductively Coupled Plasma Optical emission spectrometry (ICP-OES). Platinum effectively deposited on the TiB2 support structures via these deposition techniques within two standard deviations of the desired Pt loadings.en_ZA
dc.identifier.apacitationSeptember, C. G. (2015). <i>Preparation and characterisation of inorganic nanostructured support materials for polymer electrolyte fuel cells</i>. (Thesis). University of Cape Town ,Faculty of Engineering & the Built Environment ,Department of Chemical Engineering. Retrieved from http://hdl.handle.net/11427/20125en_ZA
dc.identifier.chicagocitationSeptember, Caelin Gee. <i>"Preparation and characterisation of inorganic nanostructured support materials for polymer electrolyte fuel cells."</i> Thesis., University of Cape Town ,Faculty of Engineering & the Built Environment ,Department of Chemical Engineering, 2015. http://hdl.handle.net/11427/20125en_ZA
dc.identifier.citationSeptember, C. 2015. Preparation and characterisation of inorganic nanostructured support materials for polymer electrolyte fuel cells. University of Cape Town.en_ZA
dc.identifier.ris TY - Thesis / Dissertation AU - September, Caelin Gee AB - Polymer electrolyte fuel cells (PEFCs) have been identified as a safe, clean and reliable alternative energy conversion technology to conventional, fossil fuel based, ones. However, the hindrance to worldwide commercialisation of this technology lies in the poor durability and high costs associated with the current carbon supported platinum (Pt/C) catalysts. Carbon support corrosion and Pt dissolution/aggregation on the catalyst layer within the fuel cell have been confirmed as the major contributors to the degradation of the Pt/C (Shao, et al., 2007). Attention needs to be paid to the improvement of catalyst components to produce an electrocatalyst with better degradation resistance and low Pt loading in order to overcome these two major commercialisation barriers. The physico-chemical and electronic interaction between the Pt catalyst and the support material play a crucial role in the catalytic activity and stability of the electrocatalysts (Wang, et al., 2011). A comprehensive understanding of the effects of catalyst support material and morphology on the mechanism and kinetics of the oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) needs to be developed. This study investigated alternative, novel catalyst support materials and structures for the catalyst layer as opposed to carbon for PEFC applications. This material consisted of TiB2 electrospun nanofibers, powder and crushed electrospun nanofibers. Methods used to reliably and accurately deposit Pt onto these materials were identified, developed and analysed. These methods include platinum deposited onto TiB2 powder, electrospun crushed nanofibers and nanofiber mats via DC magnetron sputter deposition and thermally induced chemical deposition (TICD). The synthesised catalysts were physically characterised using X-ray diffraction (XRD), Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM), Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) and Inductively Coupled Plasma Optical emission spectrometry (ICP-OES). Platinum effectively deposited on the TiB2 support structures via these deposition techniques within two standard deviations of the desired Pt loadings. DA - 2015 DB - OpenUCT DP - University of Cape Town LK - https://open.uct.ac.za PB - University of Cape Town PY - 2015 T1 - Preparation and characterisation of inorganic nanostructured support materials for polymer electrolyte fuel cells TI - Preparation and characterisation of inorganic nanostructured support materials for polymer electrolyte fuel cells UR - http://hdl.handle.net/11427/20125 ER - en_ZA
dc.identifier.urihttp://hdl.handle.net/11427/20125
dc.identifier.vancouvercitationSeptember CG. Preparation and characterisation of inorganic nanostructured support materials for polymer electrolyte fuel cells. [Thesis]. University of Cape Town ,Faculty of Engineering & the Built Environment ,Department of Chemical Engineering, 2015 [cited yyyy month dd]. Available from: http://hdl.handle.net/11427/20125en_ZA
dc.language.isoengen_ZA
dc.publisher.departmentDepartment of Chemical Engineeringen_ZA
dc.publisher.facultyFaculty of Engineering and the Built Environment
dc.publisher.institutionUniversity of Cape Town
dc.subject.otherChemical Engineeringen_ZA
dc.titlePreparation and characterisation of inorganic nanostructured support materials for polymer electrolyte fuel cellsen_ZA
dc.typeMaster Thesis
dc.type.qualificationlevelMasters
dc.type.qualificationnameMSc (Eng)en_ZA
uct.type.filetypeText
uct.type.filetypeImage
uct.type.publicationResearchen_ZA
uct.type.resourceThesisen_ZA
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