Phase Segregated Pt–SnO<sub>2</sub>/C Nanohybrids for Highly Efficient Oxygen Reduction Electrocatalysis
Jingyu Guan, Yongxi Zan, Rong Shao, Jin Niu, Meiling Dou, Baoning Zhu, Zhengping Zhang, Feng Wang
Abstract
Abstract Strengthening the interfacial interaction in heterogeneous catalysts can lead to a dramatic improvement in their performance and allow the use of smaller amounts of active noble metal, thus decreasing the cost without compromising their activity. In this work, a facile phase‐segregation method is demonstrated for synthesizing platinum–tin oxide hybrids supported on carbon black (PtSnO 2 /C) in situ by air annealing PtSn alloy nanoparticles on carbon black. Compared with a control sample formed by preloading SnO 2 on carbon support followed by deposition of Pt nanoparticles, the phase‐segregation‐derived PtSnO 2 /C exhibits a more strongly coupled PtSnO 2 interface with lattice overlap of Pt (111) and SnO 2 (200), along with enhanced electron transfer from SnO 2 to Pt. Furthermore, the PtSnO 2 active sites show a strong ability to degrade reactive oxygen species. As a result, the PtSnO 2 /C nanohybrids exhibit both excellent activity and stability as a catalyst for the oxygen reduction reaction, with an overall performance which is superior to both the control sample and commercial Pt/C catalyst. This phase‐segregation method can be expected to be applicable in the preparation of other strongly coupled nanohybrids and offers a new route to high‐performance heterogeneous catalysts for low‐cost energy conversion devices.