Investigation of phosphoric acid influence on the oxygen reduction reaction on carbon-supported platinum electrocatalyst via rotating disk electrodes

Phosphoric acid (PA), utilized as an electrolyte in high-temperature polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cells (HT-PEMFCs), has been observed to exert a detrimental effect on oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) electrocatalyst, consequently compromising cell performance. To comprehensively elucidate the impact of phosphoric acid on ORR, this study employs a range of electrochemical techniques, including electrochemical impedance spectroscopy and voltammetry method. The negative influence of PA on commercial Pt/C electrocatalyst manifests differently under various potentials and PA concentrations. Upon the introduction of PA, the decay rate and amplitude of ECSA, as calculated by H_upd adatoms, are notably smaller compared to the kinetic current density generated by the oxygen reduction reaction. Particularly, in the kinetic-controlled potential range, the negative impact of PA becomes more pronounced at higher electrode potentials, accompanied by a significantly steeper Tafel slope. Additionally, the EIS results suggest that phosphoric acid may gradually transform into polyphosphoric acid at a high concentration, accentuating the poisoning effect of PA under steady-state conditions. However, a high PA concentration can substantially alter the electrolyte properties, potentially leading to an inaccurate assessment of PA tolerance in electrocatalysts. Hence, it is imperative to consider the appropriate PA concentration when evaluating PA tolerance and to discern the poisoning mechanism under different electrode potentials.