Mesoporous Carbon and Poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene) Composite as Catalyst Support for Polymer Electrolyte Fuel Cells

In situ polymerization of 3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene with sol–gel-derived mesoporous carbon (MC) leading to a new composite and its subsequent impregnation with Pt nanoparticles for application in polymer electrolyte fuel cells (PEFCs) is reported. The composite exhibits good dispersion and utilization of platinum nanoparticles akin to other commonly used microporous carbon materials, such as carbon black. Pt-supported MC–poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene) (PEDOT) composite also exhibits promising electrocatalytic activity toward oxygen reduction reaction, which is central to PEFCs. The PEFC with Pt-loaded MC-PEDOT support exhibits 75% of enhancement in its power density in relation to the PEFC with Pt-loaded pristine MC support while operating under identical conditions. It is conjectured that Pt-supported MC–PEDOT composite ameliorates PEFC performance/ durability on repetitive potential cycling

Catalytic activity of Pt anchored onto graphite nanofiber-poly (3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene) composite toward oxygen reduction reaction in polymer electrolyte fuel cells

The potential of graphite nanofiber (GNF)-Poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene) (PEDOT) composite is explored as a catalyst support for polymer electrolyte fuel cells (PEFCs). Due to electron accepting nature of GNF and electron donating nature of PEDOT, the monomer EDOT adsorbs on the surface of GNF due to strong electrostatic π-π interaction. Pt nanoparticles are impregnated on GNF-PEDOT composite by ethylene glycol reduction method and their effects on electro catalytic activity for oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) are systemically studied. Pt particles supported on GNF-PEDOT with catalyst loading of 0.2 mg cm-2 exhibit a peak power density of 537 mW cm-2 at a load current density of 1120mAcm-2, while it was only 338 mW cm -2 at a load current density of 720 mA cm-2 in case of Pt particles supported on pristine GNF. The superior behavior of GNF-PEDOT supported Pt catalyst could be exclusively credited to the high graphitic nature of GNF and their mild functionalization with PEDOT increasing uniform dispersion of Pt. Indeed, the non-destructive functionalization of GNF with conducting polymer, such as PEDOT, makes them promising catalyst-supports for PEFCs. Crown Copyright © 2013 Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Preparation of Water-Free PEDOT Dispersions in the Presence of Reactive Polyisoprene Stabilizers

Poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene) nanoparticles with narrow size distribution were prepared in organic dispersant media in the presence of both iron(III) dodecylbenzenesulfonate {Fe(DBS)(3)}acting as both an oxidant and a stabilizerand -functionalized polyisoprenes (omega-R-PI) as costabilizers. The effects of the solvent nature and concentration of Fe(DBS)(3) on the size and morphology of the PEDOT particles were first studied in the absence of costabilizer. Second, the effects of the molar mass, concentration, and nature of the functional end group of the polyisoprene costabilizer were investigated. PEDOT nano-objects were characterized by transmission electron microscopy (TEM), atomic force microscopy (AFM), dynamic light scattering (DLS), and conductivity measurements