Novel Janus nanostructured electrocatalyst (Pt/TiSi x-NCNT) was prepared by first sputtering TiSi x on one side of N-doped carbon nanotubes (NCNTs), followed by wet chemical deposition of Pt nanoparticles (NPs) on the other side. Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) studies showed that the Pt NPs are mainly deposited on the NCNT surface where no TiSi x (i.e., between the gaps of TiSi x film). This feature could benefit the increase in the stability of the Pt NP catalyst. Indeed, compared to the state-of-the-art commercial Pt/C catalyst, this novel Pt/TiSi x-NCNT Janus structure showed ∼3 times increase in stability as well as significantly improved CO tolerance. The obvious performance enhancement could be attributed to the better corrosion resistance of TiSi x and NCNTs than the carbon black that is used in the commercial Pt/C catalyst. Pt/TiSi x-NCNT Janus nanostructures open the door for designing new type of high-performance electrocatalyst for fuel cells and other oxygen reduction reaction-related energy devices.
Keywords: CO tolerance; Janus nanostructures; electrocatalyst; fuel cells; stability.