Nitrogen Doped Carbon Nanotube Thin Films as Efficient Oxygen Reduction Catalyst for Alkaline Anion Exchange Membrane Fuel Cell

Nitrogen doped carbon nanotubes (N-CNTs) were synthesized from three different aliphatic diamine compounds. Ethylenediamine based N-CNTs (ED-CNTs) were found to have the highest nitrogen content and displayed significant oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) activity. ED-CNTs were fabricated into a thin, free standing film for use as cathode layer in an alkaline anion exchange membrane electrode assembly (MEA). These thin films displayed significantly higher performance in the alkaline MEA setup when compared with commercial carbon supported platinum (Pt/C). The increase in performance was attributed to the distinct structural properties of N-CNTs and enhanced electronic properties resulting from a high degree of nitrogen incorporation.