Plasma-Assisted Synthesis of Metal Nitrides for an Efficient Platinum-Group-Metal-Free Anion-Exchange-Membrane Fuel Cell.

Zhang, Xiao-Long; Hu, Shao-Jin; Wang, Ye-Hua; Shi, Lei; Yang, Yu; Gao, Min-Rui · Nano Lett · 2023

basic_science · Level V

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Abstract

In comparison to the well-developed proton-exchange-membrane fuel cells, anion-exchange-membrane fuel cells (AEMFCs) permit adoption of platinum-group-metal (PGM)-free catalysts due to the alkaline environment, giving a substantial cost reduction. However, previous AEMFCs have generally shown unsatisfactory performances due to the lack of effective PGM-free catalysts that can endure harsh fuel cell conditions. Here we report a plasma-assisted synthesis of high-quality nickel nitride (Ni<sub>3</sub>N) and zirconium nitride (ZrN) employing dinitrogen as the nitrogen resource, exhibiting exceptional catalytic performances toward hydrogen oxidation and oxygen reduction in an alkaline enviroment, respectively. A PGM-free AEMFC assembled by using Ni<sub>3</sub>N as the anode and ZrN as the cathode delivers power densities of 256 mW cm<sup>-2</sup> under an H<sub>2</sub>-O<sub>2</sub> condition and 151 mW cm<sup>-2</sup> under an H<sub>2</sub>-air condition. Furthermore, the fuel cell shows no evidence of degradation after 25 h of operation. This work creates opportunities for developing high-performance and durable AEMFCs based on metal nitrides.

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