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Synthesis of Platinum-nickel Nanowires and Optimization for Oxygen Reduction Performance
Published on: April 27, 2018
Improved oxygen reduction activity on Pt3Ni(111) via increased surface site availability.
Vojislav R Stamenkovic1, Ben Fowler, Bongjin Simon Mun
1Materials Science Division, Argonne National Laboratory, Argonne, IL 60439, USA. vrstamenkovic@anl.gov
Science (New York, N.Y.)
|January 16, 2007
Summary
A novel platinum-nickel (Pt3Ni) catalyst significantly boosts oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) rates in polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cells (PEMFCs), overcoming a key hurdle for automotive applications.
Area of Science:
- Catalysis science
- Materials science
- Electrochemistry
Background:
- The oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) is crucial for fuel cell efficiency.
- Slow ORR kinetics limit the practical application of polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cells (PEMFCs) in the automotive industry.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the catalytic activity of Pt3Ni(111) surfaces for the ORR.
- To understand the surface structure and electronic properties contributing to enhanced ORR activity.
Main Methods:
- Surface science studies
- Electrochemical characterization
- Computational modeling (implied by electronic structure analysis)
Main Results:
- Pt3Ni(111) demonstrated 10-fold higher ORR activity than Pt(111) and 90-fold higher than commercial Pt/C catalysts.
- The Pt3Ni(111) surface exhibits a unique electronic structure (d-band center).
- Under fuel cell operating conditions, the near-surface region shows a Pt-rich/Ni-rich/Pt-rich compositional oscillation.
Conclusions:
- The enhanced ORR activity is attributed to the specific electronic structure and surface atomic arrangement of Pt3Ni(111).
- The compositional oscillation in the near-surface region creates more active sites for oxygen adsorption.
- Pt3Ni catalysts show great promise for advancing PEMFC technology.
