Bulk-like Pt(100)-oriented Ultrathin Surface: Combining the Merits of Single Crystals and Nanoparticles to Boost Oxygen Reduction Reaction

Shuyan Gong; Mingze Sun; Yiyang Lee; Nigel Becknell; Jiangwei Zhang; Zhongqi Wang; Liang Zhang; Zhiqiang Niu

doi:10.1002/anie.202214516

Bulk-like Pt(100)-oriented Ultrathin Surface: Combining the Merits of Single Crystals and Nanoparticles to Boost Oxygen Reduction Reaction

Angew Chem Int Ed Engl. 2023 Jan 23;62(4):e202214516. doi: 10.1002/anie.202214516. Epub 2022 Dec 14.

Authors

Shuyan Gong¹, Mingze Sun¹, Yiyang Lee¹, Nigel Becknell², Jiangwei Zhang³, Zhongqi Wang⁴, Liang Zhang⁵, Zhiqiang Niu¹

Affiliations

¹ State Key Laboratory of Chemical Engineering, Department of Chemical Engineering, Tsinghua University, Beijing, 100084, P.R. China.
² Department of Chemistry, University of California, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA.
³ Dalian National Laboratory for Clean Energy & State Key Laboratory of Catalysis, Dalian Institute of Chemical Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Dalian, 116023, P.R. China.
⁴ Graduate school of science and technology, Tokyo Institute of Technology, Tokyo, 152-8550, Japan.
⁵ Center for Combustion Energy, School of Vehicle and Mobility, State Key Laboratory of Automotive Safety and Energy, Tsinghua University, Beijing, 100084, P.R. China.

PMID: 36420958
DOI: 10.1002/anie.202214516

Abstract

Single crystal surfaces with highly coordinated sites very often hold high specific activities toward oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) and others. Transposing their high specific activity to practical high-surface-area electrocatalysts remains challenging. Here, ultrathin Pt(100) alloy surface is constructed via epitaxial growth. The surface shows 3.1-6.9 % compressive strain and bulk-like characteristics as demonstrated by site-probe reactions and different spectroscopies. Its ORR activity exceeds that of bulk Pt₃ Ni(100) and Pt(111) and presents a 19-fold increase in specific activity and a 13-fold increase in mass activity relative to commercial Pt/C. Moreover, the electrochemically active surface area (ECSA) is increased by 4-fold compared to traditional thin films (e.g. NSTF), which makes the catalyst more tolerant to voltage loss at high current densities under fuel cell operation. This work broadens the family of extended surface catalysts and highlights the knowledge-driven approach in the development of advanced electrocatalysts.

Keywords: Epitaxial Growth; Extended Surface; Fuel Cell; Oxygen Reduction Reaction; Platinum.

Abstract

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