Activity enhancement of platinum oxygen-reduction electrocatalysts using ion-beam induced defects

01 November 2017, Version 1
This content is a preprint and has not undergone peer review at the time of posting.

Abstract

High activity is one of the primary requirements for the catalysts in proton exchange membrane fuel cell applications. Platinum (Pt) is the best-known catalyst especially for oxygen reduction at the cathode; however, further activity improvements are still required. Previous computational studies suggested that the catalytic activity of Pt nanoparticles could be enhanced by a Pt−carbon support interaction. We have recently found that an enhanced electronic interaction occurs at the interface between an argon-ion (Ar+)-irradiated glassy carbon (GC) surface and Pt nanoparticles. Here, we report a more than two-fold increase in specific activity (SA) for the Pt nanoparticles on the Ar+-irradiated GC substrate compared to that on the non-irradiated GC substrate. The mechanism of this activity enhancement was investigated by local structure analysis of the interface. Ar+ irradiation of the carbon support led to the formation of the Pt−C bonding, thus protecting the deposited Pt nanoparticles from oxidation.

Keywords

ORR activity
Pt nanoparticle catalyst
Fuel cell
Lattice defect
Ptu2212C interaction
Ion beam
Chemistry

Supplementary materials

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Supporting Information chemRxiv
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