Glycerol-stabilized NaBH4 reduction at room-temperature for the synthesis of a carbon-supported PtxFe alloy with superior oxygen reduction activity for a microbial fuel cell

Insufficient catalytic activity and durability are the most challenging issues in the commercial deployment of low-temperature fuel cells. In an effort to address these barriers, three carbon-supported Pt x Fe alloy electrocatalysts with varying Pt:Fe atom ratios (Pt 3 -Fe/C, Pt 2 -Fe/C, Pt-Fe/C) were prepared by simple NaBH 4 reduction in glycerol at room temperature. All of the prepared Pt x Fe nanoparticles (NPs) are highly dispersed on a carbon support and show a single-phase face-centered cubic structure with a particle size of approximately 2   nm. The electrocatalytic performances of the synthesized Pt x Fe alloy catalysts were compared with that of commercial Pt/C by cyclic voltammetry and linear sweep voltammetry; among these NPs, the Pt 3 -Fe/C catalyst exhibits the highest activity and the best stability for oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) in both acidic and neutral media. As the cathode catalyst, the maximum power density produced from microbial fuel cell with Pt 3 -Fe/C (1680   ±   15 mW m −2 ) was 18% higher than that with conventional Pt/C (1422   ±   18 mW m −2 ), and the stability of Pt 3 -Fe/C was greatly improved.