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Cited by 2Electrocatalysts for Energy ConversionFuel Cells and Related MaterialsCatalytic Processes in Materials Science

Effect of Solvent Ratio (Ethylene Glycol/Water) in the Synthesis of Pt/C Cathode Catalysts on PEM Fuel Cell Performance

Open access
Böhm, Daniel, Mangoufis-Giasin, Iosif, Mirzayeva, Farah, Vajic, Zeljana, Hoeft, Hendrik, Hengge, Katharina, Jurzinsky, Tilman, Burger, Thomas +1 more·2024·Journal of the Electrochemical Society
DOI 10.1149/1945-7111/ad417e
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Abstract

The ethylene glycol (EG)/water mixture composition of an alkaline one-step polyol synthesis for Pt/C catalysts was systematically investigated and optimized for a low ethylene glycol content with regards to resulting Pt particle size and electrochemical performance of membrane electrode assemblies tested as proton exchange membrane (PEM) fuel cell cathode catalysts. Beginning test fuel cell data show a possible reduction of the required EG amount per gram of synthesized catalyst by up to 98% without significantly compromising the initial electrochemical performance. Taking catalyst durability into account, a Pt/C catalyst synthesized with 40 vol% H 2 O and 32 mM Pt precursor concentration showed a decent initial electrochemical performance (716 mV at 1 A cm −2 ) as well as an accelerated stress test-derived stability similar to an internal reference catalyst, obtained with 100 vol% EG. In summary, our study shows that optimizing the amount of water and platinum precursor in the synthesis process can lead to catalysts with excellent performance for PEM fuel cells while contributing significantly to cost reduction by using less EG during synthesis.

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Crossref · 10.1149/1945-7111/ad417e

Cites

43 of 43 references verified0 citation errors · 0 not checkable

Statistics

Nothing to recompute.

Claims the paper makes

2 of 23 cited sources checked · 1 supported · 0 flagged · accuracy not yet measured

  • Findingown data

    A broad minimum of crystallite and particle size of about 2.0 nm occurs at 20 to 40 vol% H2O.

    “reaching a broad minimum of the crystallite and particle size of ∼2.0 nm at 20 to 40 vol% H 2 O.”
    Quote in the paperSubstantial claim
  • Findingown data

    A complex interplay between water content, Pt precursor concentration, and NaOH/Pt ratio results in a quasi-linear particle growth versus Pt precursor concentration.

    “However, a complex interplay between the water content, Pt precursor concentration, and NaOH/Pt ratio results in a quasi-linear particle growth vs Pt precursor concentration (Fig. 2b).”
    Quote in the paperNot a substantial claim
  • Findingown data

    Beginning test fuel cell data show a possible reduction of the required EG amount per gram of synthesized catalyst by up to 98% without significantly compromising the initial electrochemical performance.

    “Beginning test fuel cell data show a possible reduction of the required EG amount per gram of synthesized catalyst by up to 98% without significantly compromising the initial electrochemical performance.”
    Quote in the paperSubstantial claim
  • Findingown data

    A monotonous increase of Pt crystalline domain size with increasing precursor concentration was shown.

    “Although a fixed NaOH to Pt precursor ratio was used, a monotonous increase of the Pt crystalline domain size with increasing precursor concentration was shown (Figs.2b, 2c, Table S3).”
    Quote in the paperNot a substantial claim
  • Findingcitation

    A U-shaped dependence of Pt nanoparticle crystallite and particle size on solvent composition (water content) was shown by XRD and TEM.

    “Although experimental conditions were slightly different, in accordance with the data published by Sharma et al., a U-shaped dependence of the Pt nanoparticle crystallite and particle size was shown based on X-ray diffraction analysis and TEM imaging, respectively (Fig. 1a, Table S1).”
    Quote in the paperSubstantial claim
  • May combine two claims. 31
  • Classified as probably not a substantial claim. 13

  • May combine two claims.

    Premiseown data

    Durability testing via potential cycling indicated the highest stability for the pure EG synthesized catalyst followed by a sample synthesized with 95 vol% H2O, both surpassing the commercial reference.

    “Durability testing via potential cycling further indicated the highest stability for the pure EG synthesized catalyst followed by a sample synthesized with 95 vol% H 2 O, both surpassing the commercial Ref. 21.”
    Quote in the paperSubstantial claim1 of 1 sources checked
    • cites [21] Sharma, 2019, ACS omega source

      The Results and Discussion section (page unavailable) reports that the 00% H₂O (pure EG) and 95% H₂O catalysts had higher durability than the 70% catalyst after potential cycling. Figure 5’s caption says a commercial Pt/C catalyst was included in the durability plots, but the available text does not state that pure EG ranked above 95% H₂O or that both surpassed the commercial catalyst. (LLM, conf=0.84)

      Experimental — accuracy not yet measured

  • Probably not a substantial claim: may not pass S3 (load-bearing).

    Premisecitation

    Published data reveals trends in ECSA and activity of Pt/C based cathode catalysts synthesized by the polyol method related to synthesis conditions and resulting particle sizes.

    “In summary, the published data reveals trends in the ECSA and activity of Pt/C based cathode catalysts synthesized by the polyol method related to the synthesis conditions and resulting particle sizes.”
    Quote in the paperNot a substantial claim1 of 1 sources checked
    • cites [21] Sharma, 2019, ACS omega source

  • May combine two claims.

    Findingown data

    A Pt/C catalyst synthesized with 40 vol% H2O and 32 mM Pt precursor concentration showed a decent initial electrochemical performance (716 mV at 1 A cm-2) and accelerated stress test-derived stability similar to an internal reference catalyst obtained with 100 vol% EG.

    “Taking catalyst durability into account, a Pt/C catalyst synthesized with 40 vol% H 2 O and 32 mM Pt precursor concentration showed a decent initial electrochemical performance (716 mV at 1 A cm -2 ) as well as an accelerated stress test-derived stability similar to an internal reference catalyst, obtained with 100 vol% EG.”
    Quote in the paperSubstantial claim
    • Rests on an assumption: The internal reference catalyst obtained with 100 vol% EG is a valid benchmark for accelerated stress test-derived stability comparison.

  • May combine two claims.

    Findingown data

    Even further increase of NaOH ratio to 8 to 25 leads to a highly alkaline initial pH value (13 to 14), with a significantly reduced Pt loading on carbon support under given one step synthesis conditions.

    “Even further increase of the NaOH ratio to 8 to 25 leads to a highly alkaline initial pH value (13 to 14), with a significantly reduced Pt loading on the carbon support under given one step synthesis conditions (Table S2).”
    Quote in the paperSubstantial claim

  • May combine two claims.

    Findingown data

    NaOH/Pt ratios from 8 to 25 revealed an increased agglomeration behavior together with non-covered areas due to overall reduced Pt loading.

    “Inspecting the Pt particle distribution on the carbon support by SEM and TEM (Fig. S5), NaOH/Pt ratios from 8 to 25 (Figs.S5f-S5i) revealed an increased agglomeration behavior together with non-covered areas due to the overall reduced Pt loading.”
    Quote in the paperSubstantial claim

  • May combine two claims.

    Findingown data

    Further increase of NaOH to a ratio of 3.2 causes an initial pH of about 10 to 11 resulting in a pH of 6 to 7 after reduction of precursor, with maintaining crystallite domain size at about 3.3 nm.

    “Further increase of NaOH to a ratio of 3.2 causes an initial pH of ∼10 to 11 resulting in a pH of 6 to 7 after the reduction of the precursor, with maintaining the crystallite domain size at ∼3.3 nm.”
    Quote in the paperSubstantial claim

  • May combine two claims.

    Findingreasoning

    Initial pH values of synthesis mixtures with NaOH/Pt ratios of 0 to 2 reached up to 1 only, with XRD crystallite sizes of about 3.1 to 3.2 nm.

    “Due to the acidity of the platinic acid precursor, initial pH values of synthesis mixtures with NaOH/Pt ratios of 0 to 2 reached up to 1 only, with XRD crystallite sizes of ∼3.1 to 3.2 nm (Fig. S4, Table S2).”
    Quote in the paperNot a substantial claim

  • Probably not a substantial claim: may not pass S3 (load-bearing).

    Findingnone given

    A full reduction of H2PtCl6 precursor in presence of carbon and NaOH, in a ratio to Pt precursor of about 3 to 4, was achieved at the boiling point of respective solvent mixtures within 90 to 115 min.

    “A full reduction of the H 2 PtCl 6 precursor in presence of carbon and NaOH, in a ratio to the Pt precursor of ∼3 to 4, was achieved at the boiling point of the respective solvent mixtures within 90 to 115 min”
    Quote in the paperNot a substantial claim

  • May combine two claims.

    Findingown data

    Sample EG60-32 mM shows a limited crystallite and particle size of about 2.9 nm and 3.5 nm, respectively, and a uniform distribution of particles on the support.

    “Sample EG60-32 mM (Figs. 2h, 2i) thereby shows a limited crystallite and particle size of ∼2.9 nm and 3.5 nm, respectively, and a uniform distribution of particles on the support.”
    Quote in the paperSubstantial claim

  • May combine two claims.

    Findingown data

    High water content samples (e.g., EG20-16 mM) exhibit the lowest ECSA values down to about 11 m2/gPt, high EG content samples (e.g., EG90-16 mM and pure EG-16mM) have increased values of about 30 to 45 m2/gPt, and an intermediate solvent composition (e.g., EG60-16 mM) reaches a maximum of about 50 m2/gPt.

    “High water content-based samples (e.g., EG20-16 mM) thereby exhibit the lowest ECSA values of down to ∼11 m 2 g Pt -1 , with increased values (∼30 to 45 m 2 g Pt -1 ) for catalysts synthesized in high EG contents (e.g., EG90-16 mM and pure EG-16mM), and reach a maximum of ∼50 m 2 g Pt -1 for catalysts prepared using an intermediate solvent composition (e.g., EG60-16 mM).”
    Quote in the paperSubstantial claim

  • May combine two claims.

    Findingown data

    Slight differences in the initial ECSA values are only partially reflected in the extracted mean cell voltages of the MEAs, which range from 714 to 720 mV for all cells except the 80 vol% EG-based sample (EG80-16 mM) at 726 mV, which features significantly higher initial ECSA (about 59 m2/gPt compared to about 31 to 46 m2/gPt for other samples).

    “Slight differences in the initial ECSA values are only partially reflected in the extracted mean cell voltages of the MEAs (Figs. 5b and S22), which range from 714 to 720 mV for all cells except the 80 vol% EG-based sample (EG80-16 mM) at 726 mV, which features significantly higher initial ECSA (∼59 m 2 g Pt -1 (EG80-16 mM) compared to ∼31 to 46 m 2 g Pt -1 for other samples).”
    Quote in the paperNot a substantial claim

  • May combine two claims.

    Findingown data

    Initial available ECSA of the samples ranges between about 32 to 52 m2/gPt and shows for the low concentration samples (16 mM) a dependence on water content with maximized ECSA for an EG content of 40-80 vol%.

    “As shown in Figs.4b, 5a, Table S5 and discussed in the previous section, the initial available ECSA of the samples ranges between ∼32 to 52 m 2 g Pt -1 and shows for the low concentration samples (16 mM) a dependence on the water content with maximized ECSA for an EG content of 40-80 vol%.”
    Quote in the paperSubstantial claim

  • May combine two claims.

    Findingown data

    Sample EG60-16 mM with intermediate water content shows the highest mean cell voltage (721 mV at 1 A cm-2), followed by the pure EG sample EG100-16 mM with 716 mV, both being at the level of a commercial reference CCM (718 mV at 1 A cm-2) with comparable Pt loading per area.

    “Sample EG60-16 mM with intermediate water content in the synthesis shows the highest mean cell voltage (721 mV at 1 A cm -2 ), followed by the pure EG sample, EG100-16 mM, with 716 mV, both being at the level of a commercial reference CCM (718 mV at 1 A cm -2 ) with comparable Pt loading per area.”
    Quote in the paperSubstantial claim
    • Rests on an assumption: The commercial reference CCM is a valid benchmark for performance and stability comparison.

  • May combine two claims.

    Findingown data

    Intermediate water contents of 40-60 vol% return Pt crystallite sizes of around 2.1-2.4 nm at 16 mM (EG40-16 mM, EG60-16 mM), and only reach a size of about 4 nm at the highest precursor concentration (EG40-64 mM).

    “Intermediate water contents of 40-60 vol% also return Pt crystallite sizes of around 2.1-2.4 nm at 16 mM (EG40-16 mM, and EG60-16 mM), and only reach a size of ∼4 nm at the highest precursor concentration (EG40-64 mM).”
    Quote in the paperSubstantial claim

  • May combine two claims.

    Findingown data

    Even higher water contents of 80 vol% initially lead to larger crystallites at lower synthesis concentrations of about 3.3 nm (EG20-16 mM), but particle size was less influenced by synthesis concentration as a final crystallite size of only about 4 nm was reached at 64 mM precursor concentration (EG20-64 mM).

    “Even higher water contents of 80 vol% initially lead to larger crystallites at lower synthesis concentrations of ∼3.3 nm (EG20-16 mM), but the particle size was less influenced by the synthesis concentration as a final crystallite size of only ∼4 nm was reached at 64 mM precursor concentration (EG20-64 mM).”
    Quote in the paperNot a substantial claim

  • May combine two claims.

    Findingown data

    Catalyst synthesized at 60 vol% EG at 64 mM (EG60-64 mM) returned a crystallite and particle size of about 4.3 and 4.8 nm, respectively, with some tendency for formation of small sized agglomerates (<15 nm) but still quite homogeneous coverage of carbon support.

    “Catalyst synthesized at 60 vol% EG at the highest investigated concentration of 64 mM (EG60-64 mM) returned a crystallite and particle size of ∼4.3 and 4.8 nm, respectively, with some tendency for the formation of small sized agglomerates (<15 nm) but still quite homogeneous coverage of the carbon support (Figs. 2j, 2k).”
    Quote in the paperSubstantial claim

  • May combine two claims.

    Findingown data

    XRD analysis and TEM imaging show an increased size of Pt particles as well as an increased agglomeration on the support, which agrees with the observed shift of the CO oxidation peaks.

    “As shown by XRD analysis and TEM imaging (Fig. 2), an increased size of Pt particles as well as an increased agglomeration on the support was determined, which agrees with the observed shift of the CO oxidation peaks.”
    Quote in the paperSubstantial claim

  • May combine two claims.

    Findingown data

    Performance of high water content samples is maintained at up to 718 mV with up to 75 vol% H2O in the reaction mixture, slightly decreases to 714 mV for 80 vol%, further reduces to 709 mV for 90 vol%, and drops to 560 mV for the 95 vol% H2O sample EG05-16 mM.

    “In accordance with the trend in ECSA values, the performance of high water content samples is maintained at up to 718 mV with up to 75 vol% H 2 O in the reaction mixture but slightly decreases to 714 mV for the 80 vol% (Fig. 3d, EG20-16 mM) and further reduces to 709 mV for the 90 vol% sample (Fig. S11, EG10-16 mM) before dropping to 560 mV for the 95 vol% H 2 O sample, EG05-16 mM”
    Quote in the paperSubstantial claim

  • May combine two claims.

    Findingown data

    EG60-16 mM shows the highest signal of a single CO oxidation feature located at about 0.75 V vs DHE, corresponding to an ECSA of about 53 m2/gPt, followed by high EG content samples (e.g., EG90-16 mM) with a further single CO oxidation peak resulting in an ECSA of about 44 m2/gPt.

    “EG60-16 mM (Fig. 3c, blue) thereby shows the highest signal of a single CO oxidation feature located at ∼0.75 V vs DHE, corresponding to a ECSA of ∼53 m 2 g Pt -1 , followed by high EG content samples (e.g., EG90-16 mM, Fig. S10) with a further single CO oxidation peak resulting in a ECSA of ∼44 m 2 g Pt -1”
    Quote in the paperSubstantial claim

  • May combine two claims.

    Findingown data

    HFR for most inhouse synthesized catalysts ranges around 27 to 30 mΩ cm-2, with the commercial reference and samples EG05-16 mM and EG80-16 mM ranging around 33 to 36 mΩ cm-2.

    “The HFR for most inhouse synthesized catalysts (see Fig. 3e) ranges around 27 to 30 mΩ cm -2 with the commercial reference and sample EG05-16 mM and EG80-16 mM ranging around 33 to 36 mΩ cm -2”
    Quote in the paperNot a substantial claim

  • May combine two claims.

    Findingown data

    Higher precursor concentrations lead to an increase in Pt crystallite size and particle size together with a higher tendency of agglomeration.

    “Overall, higher precursor concentrations lead to an increase in the Pt crystallite size (Fig. S6) and particle size (Fig. S7) together with a higher tendency of agglomeration as shown by TEM image analysis.”
    Quote in the paperNot a substantial claim

  • May combine two claims.

    Findingown data

    High water content-based samples (from EG25-EG05) show a slightly shifted main CO oxidation peak at about 725 mV, with reduced intensity and an additional CO oxidation feature at about 700 mV that increases in relative intensity with further reduced EG content.

    “In contrast, high water content-based samples (from EG25-EG05, see Figs. 3d and S10) show a slightly shifted main CO oxidation peak at ∼725 mV, with reduced intensity and an additional CO oxidation feature at ∼700 mV, that increases in relative intensity with further reduced EG content (see Fig. S10; EG25-16 mM vs EG05-16 mM).”
    Quote in the paperSubstantial claim

  • May combine two claims.

    Findingown data

    Intermediate H2O content based samples exhibit an additional peak in the CO stripping voltammograms located at about 0.7 V vs DHE which increases in relative intensity with increasing synthesis concentration up to 64 mM.

    “As discussed for high water content-based samples of the 16 mM reaction concentration series (Figs.3c and S10), also intermediate H 2 O content based-samples exhibit an additional peak in the CO stripping voltammograms located at ∼0.7 V vs DHE which increases in relative intensity with increasing synthesis concentration up to 64 mM as visible in Figs.S13b, S13c.”
    Quote in the paperNot a substantial claim

  • May combine two claims.

    Findingown data

    ECSA quantification correlates to the determined crystalline domain sizes and degree of Pt nanoparticle agglomeration on the support, which is a consequence of the solvent ratio and precursor concentration employed in the synthesis.

    “The ECSA quantification thereby correlates to the determined crystalline domain sizes and degree of Pt nanoparticle agglomeration on the support as shown in Fig. 2 which is a consequence of the solvent ratio and precursor concentration employed in the synthesis.”
    Quote in the paperSubstantial claim

  • Probably not a substantial claim: may not pass S3 (load-bearing).

    Findingown data

    A cathode loading of about 0.40 ± 0.04 mg Pt cm-2 was achieved, determined by weighing decal foils before and after transfer.

    “A cathode loading of ∼0.40 ± 0.04 mg Pt cm -2 was achieved, which was determined by weighing the decal foils before and after the transfer.”
    Quote in the paperNot a substantial claim

  • May combine two claims.

    Interpretationown data

    Optimizing the amount of water and platinum precursor in the synthesis process can lead to catalysts with excellent performance for PEM fuel cells while contributing significantly to cost reduction by using less EG during synthesis.

    “In summary, our study shows that optimizing the amount of water and platinum precursor in the synthesis process can lead to catalysts with excellent performance for PEM fuel cells while contributing significantly to cost reduction by using less EG during synthesis.”
    Quote in the paperSubstantial claim

  • May combine two claims.

    Premiseown data

    Electrochemical characterization by RDE showed a clear correlation between crystallite/particle size and ECSA as well as specific activity of respective Pt/C catalysts and indicated superior performance versus a commercial reference catalyst.

    “Electrochemical characterization by RDE showed a clear correlation between the crystallite/ particle size to the ECSA as well as the specific activity of respective Pt/C catalysts and indicated a superior performance versus a commercial reference catalyst.”
    Quote in the paperSubstantial claim0 of 1 sources checked
    • cites Sharma et al.

      Couldn’t be matched to a paper in Crossref, so it can’t be checked.

  • May combine two claims.

    Premiseown data

    A broad minimum between 20 and 70 vol% H2O yielding about 2 nm particles was shown together with a sharp increase in crystallite size for low (<20 vol%) and high (>80 vol%) H2O content.

    “More specifically, a broad minimum between 20 and 70 vol% H 2 O yielding ∼2 nm particles was shown together with a sharp increase in the crystallite size for low (<20 vol%) and high (>80 vol %) H 2 O content.”
    Quote in the paperSubstantial claim0 of 1 sources checked
    • cites Sharma et al.

      Couldn’t be matched to a paper in Crossref, so it can’t be checked.

  • Probably not a substantial claim: may not pass S3 (load-bearing). May combine two claims.

    Premisecitation

    For evaluating catalyst durability or behavior at high current density using gas diffusion electrodes, there are either no protocols developed yet or limitations set by the method itself.

    “However, for evaluating the catalysts durability or behavior at high current density using GDE, there are either no protocols developed yet or limitations set by the method itself.37,38”
    Quote in the paperNot a substantial claim0 of 2 sources checked
    • cites [37] Lazaridis, 2022, Nat. Catal. source
    • cites [38] Fan, 2021, Nat. Energy source

  • Classified as probably not a substantial claim.

    Study design and conductcitation

    A catalyst durability test protocol (accelerated stress test; AST) based on published fuel cell cathode durability testing was applied.

    “A catalyst durability test protocol (accelerated stress test; AST) based on published fuel cell cathode durability testing was applied.25,26”
    Quote in the paperSubstantial claim0 of 2 sources checked
    • cites [25] Garland, 2007, ECS Trans. source
    • cites [26] Zhang, 2009, Int. J. Hydrogen Energ. source

  • May combine two claims.

    Interpretationown data

    Maximum performance and stability, surpassing an internal reference catalyst synthesized in pure EG as well as a commercial reference CCM, was achieved with a recipe using 80 vol% EG and 16 mM precursor concentration, marking a relative reduction of EG by about 73%.

    “Maximum performance and stability, thereby surpassing an internal reference catalyst synthesized in pure EG well as a commercial reference CCM, was achieved with a recipe using 80 vol% EG and 16 mM precursor concentration, marking a relative reduction of EG by ∼73%.”
    Quote in the paperSubstantial claim
    • Rests on an assumption: The commercial reference CCM is a valid benchmark for performance and stability comparison.

  • Probably not a substantial claim: may not pass S3 (load-bearing).

    Study design and conductnone given

    For generation of particle size distributions, the size of at least 150 individual spherical particles was manually determined.

    “For the generation of particle size distributions (PSD), the size of at least 150 individual, spherical particles were manually determined using the image processing software ImageJ (Version 1.53, W. Rasband and contributors, National Institute of Health, US).”
    Quote in the paperNot a substantial claim

  • Probably not a substantial claim: may not pass S3 (load-bearing).

    Premisecitation

    Water as an additional ligand is described as catalytically active by significantly reducing the activation energy for formation of the alcohol-ligand containing complex required for reduction.

    “Water as an additional ligand is described as catalytically active by significantly reducing the activation energy for the formation of the alcohol-ligand containing complex required for the reduction.”
    Quote in the paperNot a substantial claim0 of 1 sources checked
    • cites [27] Chen, 2015, Nano Lett. source

  • May combine two claims.

    Interpretationown data

    With high degrees of particle agglomeration starting from water contents of 80 vol% and higher, manual quantification of Pt particle size from TEM images becomes challenging and prone to errors, which can explain a crystalline domain size from XRD surpassing the determined mean TEM particle size.

    “With high degrees of particle agglomeration starting from water contents of 80 vol% (Fig. 1d) and higher (Fig. S2; EG05-16 mM, and EG10-16 mM), a manual quantification of the Pt particle size from TEM images becomes challenging and prone to errors, which can explain a value for the crystalline domain size from XRD analysis surpassing the determined mean TEM particle size (Fig. 1a; EG05-16 mM).”
    Quote in the paperNot a substantial claim

  • Probably not a substantial claim: may not pass S3 (load-bearing). May combine two claims.

    Premisecitation

    Quinson et al. used a NaOH to Pt precursor ratio of 3 to 25 in synthesis, which translates to an initial pH value of about 10 to 14 before reduction of the metal precursor.

    “Quinson et al. used a NaOH to Pt precursor ratio of 3 to 25 in the synthesis, which translates to an initial pH value of ∼10 to 14 before the reduction of the metal precursor.”
    Quote in the paperNot a substantial claim0 of 1 sources checked
    • cites Quinson et al.

      Couldn’t be matched to a paper in Crossref, so it can’t be checked.

  • Classified as probably not a substantial claim.

    Premisecitation

    According to Maillard et al., a shift of the CO oxidation peak in the voltammogram can be either a consequence of particle size or a different degree of Pt particle agglomeration on the support.

    “According to the works of Maillard et al. on CO monolayer oxidation on Pt supported on carbon a shift of the CO oxidation peak in the voltammogram can be either a consequence of the particle size (different share of facets with differing CO adsorption energies) or a different degree of Pt particle agglomeration on the support (spatially neighboring Pt sites for CO adsorption).40,41”
    Quote in the paperSubstantial claim0 of 2 sources checked
    • cites [40] Maillard, 2005, Phys.Chem. Chem. Phys. source
    • cites [41] Maillard, 2007, J. Electroanal. Chem. source

  • May combine two claims.

    Interpretationreasoning

    The influence of water on Pt particle size in the alkaline EG-based polyol reaction is complex, and the resulting particle size distribution is regarded to be a consequence of the modulated reduction rate influencing nucleation and growth of Pt nanoparticles.

    “Overall, the influence of the water on the Pt particle size in the alkaline EG-based polyol reaction is complex and the resulting particle size distribution is regarded to be a consequence of the modulated reduction rate influencing the nucleation and growth phase of Pt nanoparticles.”
    Quote in the paperSubstantial claim

  • Probably not a substantial claim: may not pass S3 (load-bearing).

    Premisecitation

    Absolute values derived from RDE measurements on ECSA and especially on activity and durability of electrocatalysts are typically not matching those determined in MEA measurements.

    “However, absolute values derived from RDE measurements on the ECSA and especially on activity and durability of electrocatalysts are typically not matching those determined in MEA measurements.36,37”
    Quote in the paperNot a substantial claim0 of 2 sources checked
    • cites [36] Hartig-Weiss, 2020, ACS Appl. Energy Mater. source
    • cites [37] Lazaridis, 2022, Nat. Catal. source

  • Probably not a substantial claim: may not pass S1 (asserted), S3 (load-bearing). May combine two claims.

    Interpretationown data

    The presence of the second CO oxidation peak shown for samples based on high water content synthesis is associated with the distribution of Pt nanoparticles on the carbon support, as increased agglomeration behavior was observed for these catalysts.

    “It is hypothesized that the presence of the second CO oxidation peak shown for samples based on high water content synthesis is associated with the distribution of Pt nanoparticles on the carbon support as an increased agglomeration behavior was observed for these catalysts (see Figs. 1d and S7).”
    Quote in the paperNot a substantial claim

  • Probably not a substantial claim: may not pass S3 (load-bearing).

    Premisecitation

    The presence of water is discussed to promote dissociation of alcohol and formation of O-terminated ligands involved in reaction intermediate Pt-complexes.

    “In addition, the presence of water is discussed to promote the dissociation of the alcohol and formation of O -terminated ligands involved in the reaction intermediate Pt-complexes.27”
    Quote in the paperNot a substantial claim0 of 1 sources checked
    • cites [27] Chen, 2015, Nano Lett. source

  • Probably not a substantial claim: may not pass S3 (load-bearing).

    Premisecitation

    pH or a concentration-independent fixed ratio of NaOH to Pt precursor has direct influence on the size of Pt nanoparticles obtained by the polyol process.

    “pH or rather a concentration-independent fixed ratio of NaOH to Pt precursor (H 2 PtCl 6 ) have direct influence on the size of Pt nanoparticles obtained by the polyol process.”
    Quote in the paperNot a substantial claim0 of 1 sources checked
    • cites [20] Quinson, 2018, ACS Catal. source
41 of 41

  • The paper relies on this without support.

    Small Pt particle size and uniform dispersion on the carbon support are desirable for Pt/C cathode catalyst performance.

    “the most promising catalyst for a maximized reduction of ethylene glycol synthesis with maintained small Pt particle size and most uniform dispersion on the carbon support is regarded to be EG60-32 mM”

  • The paper relies on this without support.

    The internal reference catalyst obtained with 100 vol% EG is a valid benchmark for accelerated stress test-derived stability comparison.

    “as well as an accelerated stress test-derived stability similar to an internal reference catalyst, obtained with 100 vol% EG.”

  • The paper relies on this without support.

    Reducing the amount of ethylene glycol and increasing Pt precursor concentration lowers synthesis cost and environmental impact.

    “with lowered synthesis cost due to solvent substitution and increased reaction concentrations.”

  • The paper relies on this without support.

    The commercial reference CCM is a valid benchmark for performance and stability comparison.

    “both being at the level of a commercial reference CCM (718 mV at 1 A cm -2 ) with comparable Pt loading per area.”

  • The paper relies on this without support.

    The internal reference recipe (EG100, 5.4 mM) is a valid baseline for calculating relative EG reduction.

    “versus the internal reference EG100 synthesized at 5.4 mM precursor concentration”
5 of 5

Self-check

Percentages, sums and reported differences re-computed from the paper’s own numbers.

Each contradiction between two passages listed here was confirmed by an independent check.

  • Water-content range includes a sample made with no water

    Minor

    The stated range assigns 5-100 vol% water to EG05-EG100, but the paper identifies EG100 as a pure-ethylene-glycol synthesis, which has 0 vol% water.

  • Figure 2 caption misidentifies the EG content of its imaged samples

    Minor

    The caption calls the imaged synthesis conditions 20 and 55 vol% EG, while the discussion identifies panels 2h and 2i as the EG60-32 mM sample, or 60 vol% EG.

2 of 2

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Authors
Böhm, D., Mangoufis-Giasin, I., Mirzayeva, F., Vajic, Z., Hoeft, H., Hengge, K., Jurzinsky, T., Burger, T., & El-Sayed, H. A.
Affiliations
  • Freudenberg (Germany) (DE)
  • Technical University of Munich (DE)
ORCID
Venue
Journal of the Electrochemical Society
Publisher
The Electrochemical Society
Published
2024-05-01
Volume
171
Issue
5
Pages
054505
ISSN
  • 0013-4651 (ISSN-L)
  • 1945-7111
DOI
10.1149/1945-7111/ad417e
OpenAlex
W4395013194
Cited by
2
References
43
Citations by year
2025: 2
FWCI
0.13
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Licence
Locations
Journal of The Electrochemical Society (publishedVersion)
Funders
Technische Universität München
Topics
  • Physical Sciences › Energy › Renewable Energy, Sustainability and the Environment › Electrocatalysts for Energy Conversion
  • Physical Sciences › Engineering › Electrical and Electronic Engineering › Fuel Cells and Related Materials
  • Physical Sciences › Materials Science › Materials Chemistry › Catalytic Processes in Materials Science
Keywords
Pt/C catalyst, PEM fuel cell cathode, polyol synthesis, platinum particle size, membrane electrode assembly, accelerated stress testing, catalyst stability, cost reduction

About these checks

Registry, retraction, Cites and statistics results are computed, not judged, with one exception: a printed reference that no index lists is read once by a model before it counts as a citation error. Claims are extracted by a model and kept only when their quote appears verbatim in the text; each cited source is then checked, with a model’s help, for whether it says what the claim relies on. Those verdicts can be wrong — read the claim’s quote and the cited source before relying on one.

Claims read by deepseek-v4.1-flash under definition version 3 (extract-v3) on 2026-10-11.

Classified by jev-1.13-20260917 (gold-guideline-v0.2) on 2026-10-11.

Cited sources are checked by gpt-6-sol.

Statistics and arithmetic are recomputed, not judged.

Confidence bands are shown only for fields calibrated on our annotated test set. None is calibrated yet, so no band is shown.

What counts as a claim ›How we measure confidence ›How we check this ›

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