Gas-Solid Reaction Synthesis and Electrocatalytic Oxygen Reduction of Pt-Skin L1₀-PtFe/C

Compared to Pt/C, the atomic ordered Pt-based intermetallic compounds can deliver higher efficiency and reliable stability, and they are considered one of the ideal cathode catalysts for the next generation of fuel cells. This work proposed a simple ferrocene atmosphere annealing method to improve commercial Pt/C and convert Pt to L1₀-PtFe. After further acid etching treatment, the obtained carbon-supported Pt-skin L1₀-PtFe (Pt-skin L1₀-PtFe/C) with superfine particle size (∼3.3 nm) not only was highly dispersed on the carbon but possesses a thin Pt skin, like the armor of L1₀-PtFe. As excepted, the ORR activity of Pt-skin L1₀-PtFe/C (0.375 A mg^-1; 0.921 mA cm^-2) is far better than that of commercial Pt/C (0.121 A mg^-1; 0.260 mA cm^-2), and its stability is also greatly improved. Our proposed gas-solid reaction is straightforward and has great potential in producing Pt-based intermetallic catalysts on a large scale.