Synthesis of Platinum Catalysts From Recycled Platinum Compounds and Their Performance in Polymer Electrolyte Membrane Fuel Cells

Platinum recovered from spent polymer electrolyte membranes was converted into four different precursor compounds and applied via a polyol method to synthesize recycled Pt/C catalysts. The resulting catalysts were systematically evaluated in terms of particle formation behavior, synthesis stability, electrochemical performance, and durability, with the primary objective of identifying the most suitable platinum precursor for producing recycled Pt/C catalysts that are both efficient and cost‐effective. In single‐cell tests of polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cells (PEMFC), the EA (ethanolammonium Pt precursor)‐derived catalyst showed the best performance (862 mA⋅cm −2 at 0.3 V and 71.2 mV⋅dec −1 of Tafel slope), which is comparable performance with Pt/C reference catalyst. Also, this catalyst showed higher electrochemically active surface area and lower charge transfer resistance from cyclic voltammetry and impedance measurements. These results demonstrate that the chemical nature and reduction behavior of the recycled Pt precursor critically govern Pt particle size, dispersion, and surface exposure, and that the EA‐derived Pt/C catalyst achieves the most favorable balance of microstructure and electrochemical properties, delivering PEMFC performance that approaches that of the commercial Pt/C benchmark while enabling platinum recycling.