High-Loading Pt-Co/C Catalyst with Enhanced Durability toward the Oxygen Reduction Reaction through Surface Au...

Area of Science:

• Electrochemistry
• Materials Science
• Nanotechnology

Background:

• Proton exchange membrane fuel cells (PEMFCs) require efficient cathode catalysts.
• High platinum (Pt) loading on carbon supports (Pt-Co/C) is desirable for PEMFCs.
• Achieving high Pt loading while maintaining small particle size (2-5 nm) and good durability is challenging.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop a method for preparing high-Pt-loading (>50 wt%) Pt-Co/C catalysts.
• To enhance the catalytic activity and durability of these catalysts for PEMFCs.
• To investigate the role of gold (Au) modification in improving catalyst performance.

Main Methods:

• Developed a surfactant-free method for high-Pt-loading Pt-Co/C catalyst synthesis.
• Employed one-step selective acid etching and surface Au modification.
• Utilized low-temperature thermal treatment (150 °C) for catalyst preparation.

Main Results:

• Synthesized Au-Pt-Co/C-0.015 catalyst with 50.2 wt% Pt loading and 3.42 nm particle size.
• Achieved a mass activity (MA) 1.9 times higher than commercial Pt/C catalysts.
• Demonstrated excellent durability with only 9.4% MA loss after 30,000 cycles.

Conclusions:

• The developed synthesis strategy effectively produces high-loading Pt-based catalysts.
• Surface Au modification significantly enhances catalyst durability by restricting Pt and Co dissolution.
• The Au-Pt-Co/C catalysts show great promise for practical PEMFC applications.