| AVS 59th Annual International Symposium and Exhibition | |
| Plasma Science and Technology | Thursday Sessions |
| Session PS-ThP |
| Session: | Plasma Science and Technology Poster Session |
| Presenter: | H.S. Lee, Nagoya University, Japan |
| Authors: | H.S. Lee, Nagoya University, Japan M.A. Bratescu, Nagoya University, Japan N. Saito, Nagoya University, Japan |
| Correspondent: | Click to Email |
Fuel cells have been recognized as a potential clean energy-converting device due to their high efficiency and low emissions. However, two major technical gaps limit their commercializations: cost and reliability. Currently, platinum (Pt)-based catalysts and their corresponding cathode catalyst layers are among the major causes which limit their performance and cost for proton exchange membrane (PEM) fuel cells, although these are the most promising and practical fuel cell catalysts. Some approaches have been studied to reduce the cost and to improve the performance over twenty years, but there has been no real breakthrough yet. Recently, most researchers focused on the use of carbon catalyst and non-rare metal catalyst for replacement of Pt-based catalysts. The former groups are divided in organic dope methods and inorganic dope methods on carbon material such as nanotubes or graphene sheets. The major drawback of organic and inorganic dope method are, respectively, low thermal stability and limited controlling of the process. Meanwhile, non-rare metal catalysts show low catalytic activities.
In this study, we synthesized nickel/carbon nano-particles produced by solution plasma process.
SPP is a useful and simple method for the metal NPs synthesis because this non-equilibrium plasma can provide extremely rapid reactions due to the reactive chemical species, radicals and UV radiation produced in atmospheric pressure plasma operating in glow discharge limits and offering a suitable medium to control the chemical reactions inside the solutions.
The SPP was generated by the electrical discharge between opposite nickel electrodes. The glow discharge in 0.1 M KCl solution was produced by using bipolar pulsed power supply operated at 1~2 kV of voltage, 15 kHz of pulse frequency and 2 μs of pulse width. The diameter of the electrode was 0.6 mm and the interelectrode gap was 0.5 mm. In addition, 0.1 g of dispersion treated carbon (CNT, CNB) was inserted in 100 ml solution.
M/C NPs morphology was investigated by transmission electron microscopy, energy disperse X-ray microanalysis, X-ray Diffraction, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy. Cyclic voltammetry was demonstrated for evaluating catalytic activities.
In conclusion, as applied voltage increased, diameter of synthesized NPs decreased. The smallest synthesized NPs with 3 nm showed the higher oxygen reduction rate in catalytic activities according to decrease diameter.