Palladium supported on phosphorus–nitrogen dual-doped carbon nanoparticles as cathode for hydrogen evolution in PEM water electrolyser

Phosphorus–nitrogen dual-doped carbon nanoparticles (PN-CNPs) have been successfully synthesised using chemical vapour deposition (CVD), in the presence of triphenylphosphine and acetonitrile. PN-CNPs are used as carbon support for Pd and employed as electrocatalyst in hydrogen evolution reactions. The prepared Pd/PN-CNPs electrocatalyst was subjected to morphological and electrochemical studies carried out using FE-SEM, EDS, ICP, XRD, CV, and LSV techniques. The membrane electrode assemblies (MEAs) were prepared and tested in 25 cm 2 area PEM cell setup and the test results obtained are promising as the cell voltage is 1.9 V at 1000 mA cm −2 at 80 °C. Furthermore, the cell setup was operated continuously for 500 h and has shown stable performance without any hindrance in electrochemical activity.