LAUSR

Abstract In this work, we demonstrated the sonochemical synthesis of carbon supported platinum-cobalt bimetallic (Pt-Co/C) electrocatalysts for a proton exchange membrane (PEM) fuel cell. The particle size of Pt-Co/C nanoparticles was less than 5 nm and they were spherical in shape, as revealed by the transmission electron microscope (TEM) image. The electrochemical-active surface area (EASA) of the Pt-Co/C was found to be 8.7 m2/g whereas, the open circuit potential (OCP) was measured to be 0.91 V. The incorporation of Co decreased the kinetic barrier and provided high catalytic activity. Pt-Co/C showed an ideally polarizable behavior similar to an electric double-layer capacitor. The membrane electrode assembly (MEA) was fabricated for PEM fuel cell using as-synthesized Pt-Co/C nanoparticles coated on the cathode and Pt/C nanoparticles on the anode. The polarization and power density curves of the PEM fuel cell reveald the adsorption of hydrogen and resistance to electron charge and ionic mass transport.