Analysis of the Impact of Individual Glass Constituents on Electrocatalysis on Pt Electrodes in Alkaline Solution

In our previous paper [ Journal of the Electrochemical Society , 155 , P1 (2008) ] we reported on the impact of glass corrosion on establishing the electrocatalytic activity of fuel cell catalysts. It was shown that the leaching of glass constituents into the electrolyte is responsible for insufficiently reproducible measurements of the oxygen reduction reaction as well as the hydrogen oxidation reaction on polycrystalline platinum. In the present report we elucidate which glass constituents are leached into the electrolyte through the analysis of alkaline electrolytes in contact with Duran glass by inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectroscopy. By adding these constituents, i.e., silicates, borates, aluminates, and lead, separately to the electrolyte, we evaluate their individual impact on electrocatalytic measurements. The results presented in this study help to explain the effects seen in measurements in alkaline electrolyte with glass cells.