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Fe–N–C Boosts the Stability of Supported Platinum Nanoparticles for Fuel Cells

Journal Article · · Journal of the American Chemical Society
DOI:https://doi.org/10.1021/jacs.2c08305· OSTI ID:2217034
 [1];  [1];  [2];  [3];  [1];  [2];  [1];  [1];  [1];  [1];  [1];  [4];  [4];  [5];  [6];  [7];  [8]
  1. Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST) (Hong Kong)
  2. Argonne National Laboratory (ANL), Argonne, IL (United States)
  3. Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST) (Hong Kong); Southern University of Science and Technology (SUSTech), Shenzhen (China)
  4. Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (LBNL), Berkeley, CA (United States)
  5. Chongqing Univ. (China)
  6. Southern University of Science and Technology (SUSTech), Shenzhen (China)
  7. Argonne National Laboratory (ANL), Argonne, IL (United States); Stanford Univ., CA (United States); Mohammed VI Polytechnic University, Ben Guerir (Morocco); Imam AbduIrahman Bin Faisal Univ. (IAU), Dammam (Saudi Arabia)
  8. Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST) (Hong Kong); Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST), Guangzhou (China). Fok Ying Tung Research Institute
The poor durability of Pt-based nanoparticles dispersed on carbon black is the challenge for the application of long-life polymer electrolyte fuel cells. Recent work suggests that Fe- and N-codoped carbon (Fe-N-C) might be a better support than conventional high-surface-area carbon. In this work, we find that the electrochemical surface area retention of Pt/Fe-N-C is much better than that of commercial Pt/C during potential cycling in both acidic and basic media. In situ inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry studies indicate that the Pt dissolution rate of Pt/Fe-N-C is 3 times smaller than that of Pt/C during cycling. Density functional theory calculations further illustrate that the Fe-N-C substrate can provide strong and stable support to the Pt nanoparticles and alleviate the oxide formation by adjusting the electronic structure. The strong metal-substrate interaction, together with a lower metal dissolution rate and highly stable support, may be the reason for the significantly enhanced stability of Pt/Fe-N-C. In conclusion, this finding highlights the importance of carbon support selection to achieve a more durable Pt-based electrocatalyst for fuel cells.
Research Organization:
Argonne National Laboratory (ANL), Argonne, IL (United States). Advanced Photon Source (APS); Brookhaven National Laboratory (BNL), Upton, NY (United States). National Synchrotron Light Source II (NSLS-II)
Sponsoring Organization:
USDOE Laboratory Directed Research and Development (LDRD) Program
Grant/Contract Number:
AC02-05CH11231; AC02-06CH11357; SC0012704
OSTI ID:
2217034
Journal Information:
Journal of the American Chemical Society, Journal Name: Journal of the American Chemical Society Journal Issue: 44 Vol. 144; ISSN 0002-7863
Publisher:
American Chemical Society (ACS)Copyright Statement
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English

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