Plasma Modification of Catalysts for Cathode Reduction of Hydrogen Peroxide in Fuel Cells

Plasma techniques have been extensively utilized in catalysis. Catalyst preparation using plasma treatment allows to improve dispersion, enhancing the catalyst performance and stability. In this paper, the low-pressure radio frequency (RF) discharge is shown as an efficient method to enhance the activity of cobalt tetramethoxyphenylporphyrin (CoTMPP)-based electrocatalyst for the reduction of hydrogen peroxide. It was found that a carbon-supported CoTMPP catalyst (20% CoTMPP/C) treated by plasma presents two-fold higher catalytic activity than catalyst prepared without plasma treatment. The influence of catalyst treatment on elemental surface and bulk concentration and performance of catalysts for hydrogen peroxide in a fuel cell was investigated.