Application of Novel Carbonaceous Materials as Support for Fuel Cell Electrocatalysts

Low-temperature fuel cells are potential candidates in alternative energy industry due to their high energy efficiencies and near zero emissions. Typically, carbon supported Pt-based materials are used as electrocatalysts for anode and cathode reactions in low-temperature fuel cells. Carbon black (CB) is the most commonly employed support material for Pt-based electrocatalysts. However, CB materials suffer from significant drawbacks such as poor corrosion resistance and limited mass transport of fuels to active catalyst sites. As an alternative to conventional CB support materials, carbon structures such as graphene, ordered mesoporous carbon, and the so-called green carbon have been successfully used in recent years as supports for the dispersion of fuel cell catalyst nanoparticles. This chapter briefly describes the newly developed carbonaceous nanostructures and their applications in low-temperature fuel cells.