Nickel-introduced structurally ordered PtCuNi/C as high performance electrocatalyst for oxygen reduction reaction

Abstract

Designing highly active and durable oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) electrocatalysts is essential for developing efficient proton-exchange membrane fuel cells (PEMFCs). In this work, ordered PtCuNi/C nanoparticles (NPs) were synthesized using an impregnation reduction method. This study shows that the incorporation of Ni in ordered PtCu/C can effectively adjust the electronic structure of Pt, thereby optimizing oxygen binding energy for the ORR. The obtained intermetallic ordered PtCuNi/C NPs significantly improved ORR activity and durability compared to ordered PtCu/C. Specifically, PtCu0·5Ni0·5/C-700 shows a mass activity of 1.29 ​A ​mg Pt−1 ​at 0.9 ​V vs. reversible hydrogen electrode (RHE), which is about 9.2 times higher than that of commercial Pt/C. PtCu0.5Ni0.5/C-700 is also shown to be competent cathode catalyst for a single-cell system exhibiting high power density (461 ​mW ​cm−2). This work demonstrates that ordered PtCu0·5Ni0·5/C-700 can be used as a highly active and durable ORR catalyst in PEMFCs.