Download or read book Advanced Carbon Nanomaterials as Non-precious Metal Catalysts for Fuel Cells written by Pouyan Zamani and published by . This book was released on 2017 with total page 136 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cells (PEMFCs) are electrochemical devices that efficiently convert hydrogen and oxygen into electricity and water. Their clean point of operation emissions and continuous operation have resulted in PEMFCs being highly touted as integral components of sustainable energy infrastructures, most notably in the transportation sector as a green alternative to the internal combustion engine. The issues associated with hydrogen production and distribution aside, the commercial viability of PEMFCs into the auto- motive sector is hindered by their high cost and inadequate long-term operational stability. The main factor behind both of these problems is the platinum-based electrocatalysts used at the cathode to facilitate the inherently sluggish oxygen reduction reaction (ORR). These expensive precious metal catalysts comprise almost half of the overall PEMFC stack cost and tend to degrade in the cathode environment that is very corrosive due to the acidic and potentiodynamic conditions. The current cost targets for PEMFCs are unattainable unless the extensive reliance on this precious metal is alleviated. The cost reduction can ultimately be accomplished by developing alternative cathode catalysts for the ORR. Research on new platinum catalyst supports or nanostructured platinum alloys to increase ORR activity on a precious metal mass basis have been largely successful. This approach is not ideal, however, due to the volatile pricing and geopolitical instabilities that can likely affect the supply of platinum. For these reasons, the development of entirely non-precious metal catalysts (NPMCs) for the ORR is highly desirable. This is the objective of this thesis, as will be presented in the following sections.