Dandelion-like titanium nitride supported platinum as an efficient oxygen reduction catalyst in acidic media

Abstract

The main challenges currently existing in proton-exchange membrane fuel cells (PEMFCs) are (1) the slow chemical reaction kinetics at cathode oxygen reduction with high cost of precious metal as catalysts, (2) the degradation of precious metals, (3) the corrosion of carbon carriers. A dandelion-like structure of titanium nitride nanospheres with abundant dendritic structures on the surface was synthesized, This non-carbon material was used as a carrier for platinum nanoparticles, which were deposited on the carrier using an electrochemical pulse deposition method. At 0.9 V (in comparison to RHE), the catalysts perform admirably for oxygen reduction reaction at cathode, with a mass activity of 0.44 mA g −1 Pt and specific activity of 0.33 mA cm −2 . Under the same test conditions, the prepared catalysts demonstrate better stability than commercial Pt/C catalysts, maintaining a high level of activity (61% of the initial value) after 3000 consecutive cycles. This research provides a framework for the development of long-lasting non-carbon catalysts with low-Pt loading. • Dandelion-like TiN was synthesized to achieve a 3D porous structure. • The resulting TiN was used as support material with good corrosion resistance. • Platinum nanoparticles were loaded onto the TiN surface using a pulsed electrodeposition method. • The obtained catalyst exhibits high ORR performance and stability in acid media.