This 3-neck flask contains the ingredients needed to synthesize a platinum/carbon (Pt/C) catalyst using a one-pot (or one-step) method. Inside the flask are the platinum precursor (a compound containing Pt), carbon support material, and various other chemicals/solvents to control the formation of Pt nanoparticles. When the flask is heated, Pt nanoparticles are formed directly on the carbon support, thus producing Pt/C catalyst in a single step.
Many electrocatalyst studies use samples synthesized in small batches (e.g., a few dozen milligrams), which are convenient for fundamental studies but do not always accurately represent the catalyst’s performance in practical applications. For my project, I have synthesized Pt/C catalysts in both small and large batches to determine how well the synthesis method scales up. The large vial in this image contains around 700 mg of catalyst from a single batch.
This is a standard three-electrode setup for electrochemical testing of Pt/C catalysts. The catalyst is deposited on the working electrode, which rotates to provide forced convection of ions to the catalyst. A reversible hydrogen electrode is used as the reference electrode, a platinum wire as the counter electrode, and perchloric acid as the electrolyte. Using this setup, we can estimate the catalyst’s electrochemically active surface area and oxygen reduction reaction performance.