Oxygen Reduction Reaction (ORR) on a Mixed Titanium and Tantalum Oxy-nitride Catalyst Prepared by the Urea-based Sol-gel Method

Oxygen Reduction Reaction (ORR) on a Mixed Titanium and Tantalum Oxy-nitride Catalyst Prepared by the Urea-based Sol-gel Method

A. Seifitokaldani
M. Perrier
O. Savadogo*

Chemical Engineering Department, Polytechnique Montréal, Montréal, CANADA

Laboratory of New Materials for Electrochemistry and Energy, Polytechnique Montréal, C.P.6079, Succursale Centre-Ville, Montréal, Québec H3C 3A7, Canada

Corresponding Author Email: 
osavadogo@polymtl.ca
Page: 
055-065
|
DOI: 
https://doi.org/10.14447/jnmes.v17i2.424
Received: 
February 11, 2014
| |
Accepted: 
April 05, 2014
| | Citation
Abstract: 

The electrochemical stability and activity of different compositions of titanium and tantalum oxy-nitride nano-catalysts were investigated for the oxygen reduction reaction (ORR). A new sol-gel method was used to produce a nano-powder mixture of Ti and Ta oxynitride from their alkoxides using urea as a nitrogen source. The precursors prepared by the sol-gel method were annealed in a N2 + 3% H2 atmosphere at determined temperatures (500, 700 and 900 °C) inside a silica tube furnace. X-ray diffraction results proved that by using this method a considerable amount of nitrogen was inserted into the catalyst structure at a relatively low temperature. Energy dispersive spectroscopy showed that the prepared catalyst should be oxidized carbonitride of titanium and/or tantalum. Heat treatment had a major effect on the onset potential by changing the crystallinity of the catalyst, so that the onset potential of titanium oxynitride increased from ca. 0.05 V to 0.65 V vs. NHE by increasing the temperature from 500 to 700 °C. Increasing the Ta concentration also led to a higher onset potential but lower ORR current. For instance, the onset potential for the ORR for tantalum oxynitride heat treated at 700 °C was ca. 0.85 V vs. NHE while this value was ca. 0.65 V vs. NHE for titanium oxynitride. However, the ORR current was 100 times smaller in tantalum oxynitride, most likely because of a low electrochemically active surface area. Electrochemical measurements suggested that an appropriate composition of titanium and tantalum was required to have both a good onset potential and ORR current by improving the catalytic activity and increasing the active surface area and electrical conductivity.

Keywords: 

titanium and tantalum oxy-nitride, urea-based sol-gel, oxygen reduction reaction (ORR)

1. Introduction
2. Experimental Procedure
3. Results and Discussion
4. Conclusion
5. Acknowledgement

The author wishes to acknowledge the help of Jeff Lullo in commenting on an early draft of this article.

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