Related Experiment Video
Updated: Oct 8, 2026

Synthesis of Platinum-nickel Nanowires and Optimization for Oxygen Reduction Performance
Published on: April 27, 2018
Leveraging Rh in Mixed Pt/Rh Streams Enables Activity-Durability Synergy in PtCo Intermetallic Fuel Cell Catalysts
Jian Cui1,2, Yueyang Lin2, Xu Lin3
1State Key Laboratory of Heavy Oil Processing, College of New Energy and Materials, China University of Petroleum (Beijing), Beijing, P. R. China.
Abstract:
Ordered PtCo intermetallic catalysts are promising oxygen reduction catalysts for proton exchange membrane fuel cells, but simultaneously achieving high activity, durability, and sustainable platinum group metal (PGM) utilization remains challenging. Here, literature-scale composition mapping and density functional theory screening are combined to identify Rh as a functional regulator of PtCo, leading to a compositionally informed synthesis of ordered Rh-PtCo/C from a Pt/Rh mixed solution. Structural characterization supports Rh incorporation into the PtCo framework, while cluster expansion calculations predict preferential subsurface enrichment. The predicted subsurface Rh configuration downshifts the Pt d-band center, moderates oxygenated-intermediate binding, and strengthens the internal metal-metal bonding network. Rh-PtCo/C consequently delivers a mass activity of 1.792 A mgPt -1 and a total-PGM-normalized activity of 1.59 A mgPGM -1 at 0.9 V versus RHE. In H2-air membrane electrode assemblies, it reaches a peak power density of 1.12 W cm-2 and retains 95.54% of its initial value after 30 000 voltage cycles. Scenario-based life cycle assessment and techno-economic analysis further indicate that retaining coexisting Rh may reduce downstream processing burdens compared with separation-intensive Pt/Rh routes. This work establishes compositionally informed subsurface regulation for coupling high-performance intermetallic catalyst design with the value-retaining use of mixed-metal resources.
More Related Videos
Related Concept Videos
Heterogeneous Catalysis
Reduction of Alkenes: Asymmetric Catalytic Hydrogenation
The metal catalyst used can be either heterogeneous or homogeneous. When hydrogenation of an alkene generates a chiral center, a pair of enantiomeric products is expected to form. However, an enantiomeric excess of one of the products can be facilitated using an enantioselective reaction or an...
Reduction of Alkynes to cis-Alkenes: Catalytic Hydrogenation
Like alkenes, alkynes can be reduced to alkanes in the presence of transition metal catalysts such as Pt, Pd, or Ni. The reaction involves two sequential syn additions of hydrogen via a cis-alkene intermediate.
Batteries and Fuel Cells
Catalysis

