Doctoral defence: Kaarel Kisand "Resorcinol-derived carbon-based catalysts for polymer electrolyte fuel cell cathodes"

On 29 August at 12:15, Kaarel Kisand will defend his thesis "Resorcinol-derived carbon-based catalysts for polymer electrolyte fuel cell cathodes".

Supervisors:
Associate Professor Ave Sarapuu, PhD, University of Tartu
Professor Kaido Tammeveski, PhD, University of Tartu

Oponent:
Justus Masa, Max Planck Institute for Chemical Energy Conversion, Germany

Summary:
The European Commission's proposal to integrate electrolytically produced hydrogen is expected to accelerate the development of hydrogen technologies, to move towards sustainable energy solutions. Polymer electrolyte fuel cells (PEFCs), using hydrogen as the fuel, are a versatile solution across various applications, including automotive, residential, maritime, and backup power. Despite advancements in fuel cell technology, their adoption lags behind batteries, partly due to the scarcity and high price of platinum, a critical component in fuel cell catalysts. To address this issue, research is focused on developing platinum group metal (PGM)-free cathode catalysts to reduce the PGM content in the fuel cell stack significantly. This PhD thesis focuses on developing synthesis methods for PGM-free catalysts for oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) on PEFCs cathodes via pyrolysis, using alkylresorcinols as carbon precursors. Synthesis conditions are varied, and precursor ratios are optimized to achieve the highest electrocatalytic activity toward the ORR. In addition, the effect of the porous structure of carbon materials on the fuel cell performance is studied using magnesium-based templates for catalyst preparation. The catalysts are extensively characterized by physico-chemical methods to understand the relationships between the catalyst structure and electrocatalytic activity. The electrocatalytic performance of the materials is tested using the rotating disc electrode or rotating ring-disc electrode methods, and the synthesized materials are employed as cathode catalysts in both anion exchange membrane and proton exchange membrane fuel cells. This research addresses the crucial issue of Pt scarcity by developing viable PGM-free catalysts, potentially enabling broader and more sustainable adoption of fuel cell technologies.