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Language: English

Conflict of Interest: In relation to this article, we declare that there is no conflict of interest.

Publication history: Received March 27, 2025
Revised June 17, 2025
Accepted July 12, 2025
Available online October 25, 2025

This is an Open-Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution Non-Commercial License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/bync/3.0) which permits unrestricted non-commercial use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.

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Enhanced Performance of Proton Exchange Membrane Fuel Cells Using Platinum–Iron Oxide Catalysts Supported on Activated Carbon Spheres

Arzu Ekinci Abdurrahman Akdag¹ Kaan Büyükkanber² Ömer Şahin^2†

Department of Occupational Health and Safety, Faculty of Health Sciences , Siirt University ¹Vocational School of Health Services , Harran University ²Department of Chemical Engineering, Faculty of Chemical and Metallurgical Engineering , Istanbul Technical University

omersahin@itu.edu.tr

Korean Journal of Chemical Engineering, October 2025, 42(12), 2935-2950(16)
https://doi.org/10.1007/s11814-025-00516-y

Abstract

In this study, the electrochemical performance of Fe 3 O 4 -supported Pt/C catalysts was evaluated in a Proton exchange

membrane fuel cell (PEMFC), with a focus on enhancing oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) kinetics. Fe 3 O 4 nanoparticles

reduced catalyst particle sizes and improved structural stability. Among the catalysts tested—Pt-Fe 3 O 4 magnetic nanoparticle

(MNP)/C, Pt/ Fe 3 O 4 MNP-C, and Pt/ Fe 3 O 4 activated carbon sphere (ACS)-C—the Pt/ Fe 3 O 4 MNP-C variant achieved the

highest power density (215 mW/cm 2 at 346 mA/cm 2 ) and displayed superior activity. Analytical techniques such as XRD,

SEM–EDX, and TEM confi rmed the superior crystallinity and phase purity of the Pt/ Fe 3 O 4 -based catalysts. Particle sizes

were found to be 3.16 nm, 2.71 nm, and 4.70 nm, respectively, for Pt-Fe 3 O 4 MNP/C, Pt/ Fe 3 O 4 MNP-C, and Pt/Fe 3 O 4 ACSC.

The high ORR activity of Pt/Fe 3 O 4 MNP-C is attributed to the high surface area and conductivity provided by activated

carbon spheres, alongside enhanced Pt-Fe 3 O 4 interactions. Mass activities were recorded at 2829, 2307, and 1893 mA/mg Pt ,

with Pt-Fe 3 O 4 MNP/C showing the fastest kinetics and highest effi ciency. Pt/ Fe 3 O 4 MNP-C emerges as a promising lowplatinum,

high-effi ciency electrocatalyst for PEMFCs, marking a signifi cant step toward sustainable fuel cell technologies.

Keywords

PEM fuel cells · Fe 3 O 4 nanoparticles · Power density · Activated carbon spheres · Electrocatalytic performance