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Updated: Jun 9, 2026
09:02
Synthesis of Platinum-nickel Nanowires and Optimization for Oxygen Reduction Performance
Published on: April 27, 2018
High-Spin Pt Sites of Intermetallic Compound via Pinning Effect Boost Oxygen Reduction Performance
Renjie Gui1, Yifan Yin1, Han Cheng1
1Key Laboratory of Precision and Intelligent Chemistry, School of Chemistry and Materials Science, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, Anhui, P. R. China.
Angewandte Chemie (International Ed. in English)
|June 7, 2026
Summary
Researchers developed a novel spin-pinning strategy to stabilize high-spin platinum sites in catalysts for proton exchange membrane fuel cells (PEMFCs). This breakthrough enhances oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) kinetics, boosting fuel cell efficiency and durability.
Area of Science:
- Materials Science
- Electrochemistry
- Catalysis
Background:
- Proton exchange membrane fuel cells (PEMFCs) commercialization is limited by slow oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) kinetics at the cathode.
- High-performance platinum (Pt)-based catalysts are crucial, but controlling Pt spin states for optimal ORR efficiency is challenging due to their paramagnetic nature.
Purpose of the Study:
- To develop a method for stabilizing high-spin Pt sites in catalysts.
- To enhance ORR kinetics and improve PEMFC performance.
Main Methods:
- Fabrication of core-shell L1₀-Pt₂CoFe/Pt₂FeNi intermetallic compounds.
- Utilizing a spin-pinning effect where a ferromagnetic core induces a high-spin configuration in the Pt shell.
- Investigating the impact of spin-engineered Pt sites on ORR activity and stability.
Main Results:
- Magnetized L1₀-Pt₂CoFe catalysts demonstrated significantly enhanced mass activity (8-fold) and specific activity (31-fold) compared to non-magnetized counterparts.
- The engineered catalyst outperformed commercial Pt/C, showing excellent stability with 90% activity retention after 50,000 cycles and maintaining performance over 6 months.
- The spin-engineering strategy optimized Pt 5d orbital splitting, lowering the activation barrier for ORR.
Conclusions:
- A field-free spin-pinning strategy provides a practical and generalizable approach to designing advanced Pt-based ORR catalysts.
- Stable high-spin Pt sites are achievable, leading to superior catalytic performance and durability for PEMFCs.
Keywords:
PEMFCPt‐based intermetallic compoundmolecular orbitalsoxygen reduction reactionspin‐pinning effectMore Related Videos
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