Temperature and structural dependence of electrochemical activity and fuel cell performance

The dependence on temperature and structure of the electrochemical activity of a catalyst supported on hollow carbon nanocages (HCNCs) with large scales (> 5 g h(-1)) by a simple N(2)-bubbling floating method is discussed. The effect of gas flow on an HCNC-supported catalyst was systematically studied in our previous work. Here we specify the electrocatalytic activity of the samples with different temperatures and graphite structures under 900 and 1000 degrees C by cyclic voltammograms. The peak current density of H(2)-adsorption/desorption is four times higher than that of the commercial Pt/C (Vulcan XC-72). Besides the comparison with commercial carbon, the fuel cell performance was measured. The single fuel cell test for Pt/HCNCs showed a high turn-on voltage of 0.9 V and a relatively high power density of 0.13 W cm(-2) under a low temperature of 60 degrees C and a low gas pressure of 1 atm. (C) 2009 Acta Materialia Inc. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.