The preparation of Pt/C catalysts using various carbon materials for the cathode of PEMFC

Abstract Various 60 wt% Pt/C catalysts were prepared using LG precipitation method with Vulcan XC-72, Ketjen black EC 300J, and Ketjen black EC 600JD. The average Pt particle size decreases with increasing the surface area of carbon black supports. The 60 wt% Pt/C catalyst with 1.6 nm of Pt particle size and good dispersion could be prepared using Ultra high Surface Area Carbon (USAC, Ketjen black EC 600JD). In single cell test, the activity of electrode catalysts was enhanced with Pt surface area increase above 0.6 V but the correlation between activity of catalysts and Pt surface area was not clear below 0.6 V. Pt catalyst supported on USAC showed good oxygen reduction activity in all voltage regions and also showed stable voltage of 0.6 V at 900 mA cm −2 without degradation over 180 h of durability test.