Nanocomposite of platinum and prussian blue: A highly active and stable electrocatalyst towards oxygen reduction reaction in acidic media

Abstract

Deployment of proton exchange membrane fuel cells (PEMFCs) are of vital importance for the mitigation of fossil energy shortage and environment pollution. A significant amount of Pt on cathode is highly needed to accelerate the process of sluggish oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) and maintains a stable long-term performance. During ORR, the yield of undesirable hydrogen peroxide through a two-electron pathway not only decreases outer power but also weakens the long-term stability. Herein, Pt-prussian blue (PB) composite, featuring around structure, is firstly proposed and facilely fabricated via electrostatic self-assembly strategy. Pt1PB0.25/C shows 50% higher activity than commercial Pt/C, rationally ascribed to modulated electronic structure and higher selectivity towards four-electron pathway. Moreover, in contrast with the striking 38% loss in mass activity for Pt/C after accelerated degradation tests (ADTs), Pt1PB0.25/C shows only a 15% decrease possibly due to the elimination of hydrogen oxide and the anchor interaction between Pt and PB. The employment of PB with a synergy role paves an efficient way for the fabrication of brand-new Pt-based catalysts with high activity and stability.