Combinatorial screening of PtTiMe ternary alloys for oxygen electroreduction

The catalytic oxygen electroreduction properties of PtTiMe (Me = Co, Cr, Cu, Fe, Mn, Mo, Ni, Pd, Ta, V, W and Zr) ternary alloys were studied using an in-house developed thin film based combinatorial high throughput method. Libraries containing discrete alloy compositions were fabricated by plasma co-sputtering and the resulting alloys were electrochemically screened by the hydrodynamic rotating disk electrode technique. Candidate catalysts were identified by comparing the activity-stability-composition relationships between the platinum titanium alloys and pure platinum standard. Among the PtTiMe alloys studied, PtTiNi, PtTiCu and PtTiV, respectively, displayed the highest catalytic oxygen electroreduction activities with a tenfold, an eightfold and a sixfold enhancement as compared to the pure platinum standard and good chemical stabilities.