Preparation of PEMFC catalysts by electrodeposition
As an energy conversion device that converts fuel chemical energy directly into electrical energy,proton exchange membrane fuel cell(PEMFC)has received much attention because of its high efficiency and environmental protection advantages.The catalyst directly determines the performance of PEMFC and is one of the most central parts of PEMFC.Electrodeposition is considered as a promising method for the preparation of PEMFC catalysts due to the advantages of controllable nucleation,low cost,easy operation and scalability.This article introduces the common processes in electrodeposition and reviews the representative achievements of PEMFC catalyst preparations by electrodeposition in recent years.It is pointed out that through accurately controlling the voltage,current and solution components,the electrodeposition has outstanding advantages in the preparation of alloy catalysts,non-precious metal catalysts,and catalysts with special morphologies such as core-shell structure,nanowire structure and nano-array structure.This allows the electrodeposition superior to other methods for the preparation of PEMFC catalysts,and to achieve industrial application.Finally,this article foresees the future research focus and direction for the preparation of PEMFC catalysts by electrodeposition,and points out that the researches on the regulation mechanism and catalytic mechanism of electrodeposition should be combined to guide the improvement of the preparation process.Meanwhile,the application pathway of electrodeposition for low-platinum or non-platinum catalysts should be explored,which will be of help to the technological breakthrough of PEMFC catalysts.