Polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cells (PEMFCs) produce electricity with only heat and water as byproducts, but sluggish kinetics of the oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) at the cathode and durability limitations restrict widespread commercialization, motivating the development of advanced catalysts. In this research, extended-surface platinum nickel (PtNi) nanowires (NWs) synthesized using the scalable atomic layer deposition (ALD) technique are investigated with the goal of exploring the durability benefits of high-aspect-ratio electrocatalysts and the tunability of beneficial kinetic properties. The surface and bulk composition and the structure of the PtNi NWs were investigated as a function of a series of postsynthesis modifications. The results from a combination of electron microscopy and X-ray spectroscopy characterization techniques were correlated to electrochemical performance to gain a comprehensive understanding of the structure-property-performance relationships. The robust structure of the ALD-derived NWs enabled additional postsynthesis optimization steps, which were not possible with previous-generation materials synthesized via spontaneous galvanic displacement, resulting in a catalyst with beneficial properties for catalyst kinetics as well as improved durability. Our study demonstrates potential pathways toward further improving the performance of this class of materials through optimization of bulk and surface properties of the catalyst.
Zaccarine, Sarah F., et al. "Optimization of Extended-Surface PtNi Nanowire Oxygen Reduction Electrocatalysts Produced via Atomic Layer Deposition." ACS Applied Energy Materials, vol. 5, no. 4, Apr. 2022. https://doi.org/10.1021/acsaem.2c00016
Zaccarine, Sarah F., Alia, Shaun M., McNeary, W. Wilson, Chattot, Raphaël, Dzara, Michael J., Martens, Isaac, Mauger, Scott A., Weimer, Alan W., Drnec, Jakub, Pivovar, Bryan S., & Pylypenko, Svitlana (2022). Optimization of Extended-Surface PtNi Nanowire Oxygen Reduction Electrocatalysts Produced via Atomic Layer Deposition. ACS Applied Energy Materials, 5(4). https://doi.org/10.1021/acsaem.2c00016
Zaccarine, Sarah F., Alia, Shaun M., McNeary, W. Wilson, et al., "Optimization of Extended-Surface PtNi Nanowire Oxygen Reduction Electrocatalysts Produced via Atomic Layer Deposition," ACS Applied Energy Materials 5, no. 4 (2022), https://doi.org/10.1021/acsaem.2c00016
@article{osti_1867379,
author = {Zaccarine, Sarah F. and Alia, Shaun M. and McNeary, W. Wilson and Chattot, Raphaël and Dzara, Michael J. and Martens, Isaac and Mauger, Scott A. and Weimer, Alan W. and Drnec, Jakub and Pivovar, Bryan S. and others},
title = {Optimization of Extended-Surface PtNi Nanowire Oxygen Reduction Electrocatalysts Produced via Atomic Layer Deposition},
annote = {Polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cells (PEMFCs) produce electricity with only heat and water as byproducts, but sluggish kinetics of the oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) at the cathode and durability limitations restrict widespread commercialization, motivating the development of advanced catalysts. In this research, extended-surface platinum nickel (PtNi) nanowires (NWs) synthesized using the scalable atomic layer deposition (ALD) technique are investigated with the goal of exploring the durability benefits of high-aspect-ratio electrocatalysts and the tunability of beneficial kinetic properties. The surface and bulk composition and the structure of the PtNi NWs were investigated as a function of a series of postsynthesis modifications. The results from a combination of electron microscopy and X-ray spectroscopy characterization techniques were correlated to electrochemical performance to gain a comprehensive understanding of the structure-property-performance relationships. The robust structure of the ALD-derived NWs enabled additional postsynthesis optimization steps, which were not possible with previous-generation materials synthesized via spontaneous galvanic displacement, resulting in a catalyst with beneficial properties for catalyst kinetics as well as improved durability. Our study demonstrates potential pathways toward further improving the performance of this class of materials through optimization of bulk and surface properties of the catalyst.},
doi = {10.1021/acsaem.2c00016},
url = {https://www.osti.gov/biblio/1867379},
journal = {ACS Applied Energy Materials},
issn = {ISSN 2574-0962},
number = {4},
volume = {5},
place = {United States},
publisher = {American Chemical Society (ACS)},
year = {2022},
month = {04}}
National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), Golden, CO (United States); SLAC National Accelerator Lab., Menlo Park, CA (United States). Stanford Synchrotron Radiation Lightsource (SSRL)
Sponsoring Organization:
USDOE Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE), Transportation Office. Fuel Cell Technologies Office; USDOE Office of Science (SC); National Science Foundation (NSF)