Summary
Carbon is the standard support for platinum catalysts in polymer-electrolyte-membrane fuel cells (PEMFCs), but it corrodes under the high potentials seen during start-up and shut-down, causing Pt to detach and the cell to lose performance. This study evaluates a corrosion-resistant, non-carbon alternative: electrospun niobium-doped titanium dioxide (TiO₂) nanofibres. The authors optimised the Nb doping level and the thermal treatment to balance surface area against electronic conductivity, obtaining a conductive titania rich in surface Ti³⁺, Nb⁴⁺ and oxygen vacancies. Platinum nanoparticles (~2.3 nm) were then deposited by a microwave-assisted polyol method onto both the titania nanofibres and, for comparison, carbon nanofibres. After 1000 voltage cycles to 1.2 V the titania-supported catalyst kept about 73% of its active surface area, versus only 8% for the carbon-supported one — a striking durability gain.