Abstract
Durability of current membrane electrode assemblies (MEAs) used in proton-exchange membrane fuel cells (PEMFC) is limited by the corrosion of the high surface area carbon (HSAC) supports in real operating conditions. Among the different strategies used to tackle this problem, using metal oxides as catalyst supports reveals promising. Doped TiO2 and doped SnO2 nanofibers (NF) or aerogels (AG) with morphologies appropriate for efficient mass-transport along with improved electronic conductivity (once doped with Nb or Sb) have been prepared. Pt nanoparticles were then successfully deposited on their surface via different routes. First results obtained on MEAs based on Pt/doped SnO2 NF showed increased stability compared to conventional Pt/C during accelerated stress tests (AST).