A CO-Tolerant Electrocatalyst Based on Platinum and Organic Metal Clusters for Reformate Fuel Cells

CO-tolerant anode catalysts for reformate-type polymer electrolyte fuel cells are proposed and evaluated in comparison with Pt–Ru alloy catalysts. Composite catalysts were fabricated by mixing platinum precursor and organic metal clusters on carbon and then heat-treating in Ar atmosphere at 400–500°C. CO tolerance tests were conducted in the electrochemical cell using a rotating disk electrode. Also, the anode half-cell and the single fuel cell performances were measured at 70°C with H2 containing various levels of CO. Compared with commercial Pt–Ru/C catalysts, this class of anode catalysts proved to be promising as CO-tolerant anode catalysts