Structurally ordered Pt3Co for oxygen reduction reaction prepared using polyvinylpyrrolidone as auxiliary dispersant

Abstract

Structurally ordered Pt3Co/C nanoparticles (NPs) were obtained via a spray paint drying method with an annealing treatment. The addition of a suitable dose of polyvinylpyrrolidone resulted in a narrow size distribution of the Pt3Co/C-600-1 NPs, an average particle size of ca. 4.6 nm, which may be due to the enhanced dispersion in aqueous solution resulting from the carbon support. The sample denoted as Pt3Co/C-600-1 NPs performs high activity for oxygen reduction reaction with the mass activity (MA) ca. 3 times higher than that of a commercial Pt/C catalyst at 0.9 V. Accelerated durability tests (ADTs) showed that Pt3Co/C-600-1 NPs exhibit superior stability with a minimal loss of 17.5% in MA at 0.9 V after 5000 cycles, while Pt/C catalysts show loss of 44.4%. This simple two-step strategy provides an effective way to prepare Pt-based catalysts for industrial application.