Highly Durable Fuel Cells Using Carbon-Bound Platinum Alloy Catalysts Derived from Upcycled Polystyrene

Abstract

Developing highly active and durable catalysts with minimal platinum (Pt) usage is crucial for reducing the overall cost of proton exchange membrane fuel cells (PEMFCs). Herein, we introduce a scalable synthesis of carbon-bound catalysts using the upcycling of the polystyrene (PS) polymer. Our approach utilizes solvent-based hyper-cross-linking techniques to spontaneously achieve a hierarchically porous structure in a single-step process. The Pt-loaded PS-derived carbon support features a mesopore structure that enhances mass transport for PEMFCs, despite a low Pt loading of 0.05 mgPt cm-2. The catalyst exhibits excellent durability, retaining 92.1% of its initial power density after 30,000 cycles, owing to its carbon-bound structure and the strong interaction between catalyst and support. In contrast, the power density of commercial Pt/C retains only 35.8% after 30,000 cycles. This approach offers a cost-efficient and sustainable method for upcycling PS polymers into highly durable cathode materials for PEMFCs.