Fe–N–C Boosts the Stability of Supported Platinum Nanoparticles for Fuel Cells
Fei Xiao, Yian Wang, Gui‐Liang Xu, Fei Yang, Shangqian Zhu, Cheng‐Jun Sun, Yingdan Cui, Zhiwen Xu, Qinglan Zhao, Juhee Jang, Xiaoyi Qiu, Ershuai Liu, Walter S. Drisdell, Zidong Wei, Meng Gu, Khalil Amine, Minhua Shao
Abstract
The poor durability of Pt-based nanoparticles dispersed on carbon black is the challenge for the application of long-life polymer electrolyte fuel cells. Recent work suggests that Fe- and N-codoped carbon (Fe–N–C) might be a better support than conventional high-surface-area carbon. In this work, we find that the electrochemical surface area retention of Pt/Fe–N–C is much better than that of commercial Pt/C during potential cycling in both acidic and basic media. In situ inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry studies indicate that the Pt dissolution rate of Pt/Fe–N–C is 3 times smaller than that of Pt/C during cycling. Density functional theory calculations further illustrate that the Fe–N–C substrate can provide strong and stable support to the Pt nanoparticles and alleviate the oxide formation by adjusting the electronic structure. The strong metal–substrate interaction, together with a lower metal dissolution rate and highly stable support, may be the reason for the significantly enhanced stability of Pt/Fe–N–C. This finding highlights the importance of carbon support selection to achieve a more durable Pt-based electrocatalyst for fuel cells.