Oxygen Reduction Activity of Thermally Decomposed Tetraphenylporphyrin as Cathode Catalyst of DMFC

抄録

DMFC has a serious technical problem, which is called “crossover”. The crossover CH₃OH, which passes through the polymer electrolyte from the anode to cathode, usually adsorbs on the surface of the cathode catalyst (Pt black) that decreases the DMFC performance. In this study, tetraphenylporphine and tetraphenylporphyrin-metals (metals: Co, Mn and Ru) were thermally decomposed at 673-1173 K for 7.2 ks and the activity of the oxygen reduction of the product was investigated using a rotating disk electrode in order to develop a new cathode catalyst with CH₃OH tolerance. The thermally decomposed TPP-Co and TPP-Ru, which have no activity toward CH₃OH oxidation, are possible materials as the cathode catalyst of the DMFC, thus being a substitute for the Pt black.