New Carbon Nanofiber Composite Materials Containing Lanthanides and Transition Metals Based on Electrospun Polyacrylonitrile for High Temperature Polymer Electrolyte Membrane Fuel Cell Cathodes

Electrospinning of polyacrylonitrile/DMF dopes containing salts of nickel, cobalt, zirconium, cerium, gadolinium, and samarium, makes it possible to obtain precursor nanofiber mats which can be subsequently converted into carbon nanofiber (CNF) composites by pyrolysis at 1000–1200 °C. Inorganic additives were found to be uniformly distributed in CNFs. Metal states were investigated by transmission electron microscopy and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). According to XPS in CNF/Zr/Ni/Gd composites pyrolyzed at 1000 °C, nickel exists as Ni(0) and as Ni(2+), gadolinium as Gd(3+), and zirconium as Zr(4+). If CNF/Zr/Ni/Gd is pyrolyzed at 1200 °C, nickel exists only as Ni(0). For CNF/Sm/Co composite, samarium is in Sm(3+) form when cobalt is not found on a surface. For CNF/Zr/Ni/Ce composite, cerium exists both as Ce(4+) and as Ce(3+). Composite CNF mats were platinized and tested as cathodes in high-temperature polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cell (HT-PEMFC). Such approach allows to introduce Pt–M and Pt–MO(x) into CNF, which are more durable compared to carbon black under HT-PEMFC operation. For CNF/Zr/Ni/Gd composite cathode, higher performance in the HT-PEMFC at I >1.2 A cm(-2) is achieved due to elimination of mass transfer losses in gas-diffusion electrode compared to commercial Celtec(®)P1000.