Mesoporous Tin Oxide as an Oxidation-Resistant Catalyst Support for Proton Exchange Membrane Fuel Cells

Mesoporous catalyst support based on tin oxide is synthesized with high surface area of and with narrow pore size distribution. Modified polyol method is used to deposit platinum on . The physical properties of the support and the -supported Pt catalyst are characterized by using the Brunauer, Emmett, and Teller method, X-ray diffraction, and transmission electron microscopy. The electrochemical stability and durability of the catalyst are investigated by the accelerated stress tests proposed by the U.S. Department of Energy. catalyst exhibits electrochemical activity in fuel cells comparable to that of Pt/C. More importantly, the electrochemical stability of the catalyst significantly improves when compared with the commercial Pt/C catalyst at high potentials ( vs reversible hydrogen electrode).