Nickel-introduced structurally ordered PtCuNi/C as high performance electrocatalyst for oxygen reduction reaction
Xiaoran Wang, Libo Zhang, Fanghui Wang, Jinghua Yu, Hong Zhu
Abstract
Designing highly active and durable oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) electrocatalysts is essential for developing efficient proton-exchange membrane fuel cells (PEMFCs). In this work, ordered PtCuNi/C nanoparticles (NPs) were synthesized using an impregnation reduction method. This study shows that the incorporation of Ni in ordered PtCu/C can effectively adjust the electronic structure of Pt, thereby optimizing oxygen binding energy for the ORR. The obtained intermetallic ordered PtCuNi/C NPs significantly improved ORR activity and durability compared to ordered PtCu/C. Specifically, PtCu0·5Ni0·5/C-700 shows a mass activity of 1.29 A mg Pt−1 at 0.9 V vs. reversible hydrogen electrode (RHE), which is about 9.2 times higher than that of commercial Pt/C. PtCu0.5Ni0.5/C-700 is also shown to be competent cathode catalyst for a single-cell system exhibiting high power density (461 mW cm−2). This work demonstrates that ordered PtCu0·5Ni0·5/C-700 can be used as a highly active and durable ORR catalyst in PEMFCs.