Platinum multicubes prepared by ni(2+) -mediated shape evolution exhibit high electrocatalytic activity for oxygen reduction

Liang Ma; Chengming Wang; Bao Yu Xia; Keke Mao; Jiawei He; Xiaojun Wu; Yujie Xiong; Xiong Wen David Lou

doi:10.1002/anie.201500947

Platinum multicubes prepared by ni(2+) -mediated shape evolution exhibit high electrocatalytic activity for oxygen reduction

Angew Chem Int Ed Engl. 2015 May 4;54(19):5666-71. doi: 10.1002/anie.201500947. Epub 2015 Mar 10.

Authors

Liang Ma¹, Chengming Wang, Bao Yu Xia, Keke Mao, Jiawei He, Xiaojun Wu, Yujie Xiong, Xiong Wen David Lou

Affiliation

¹ Hefei National Laboratory for Physical Sciences at the Microscale, Collaborative Innovation Center of Chemistry for Energy Materials, School of Chemistry and Materials Science, and CAS Key Laboratory of Materials for Energy Conversion, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, Anhui 230026 (P. R. China) http://staff.ustc.edu.cn/∼yjxiong/

PMID: 25756931
DOI: 10.1002/anie.201500947

Abstract

Pt(100) facets are generally considered less active for the oxygen reduction reaction (ORR). Reported herein is a unique Pt-branched structure, a multicube, whose surface is mostly enclosed by {100} facets but contains high-index facets at the small junction area between the adjacent cubic components. The synthesis is accomplished by a Ni(2+) -mediated facet evolution from high-index {311} to {100} facets on the frameworks of multipods. Despite the high {100} facet coverage, the Pt multicubes exhibit impressive ORR activity in terms of half-wave potential and current density nearly to the level of the most active Pt-based catalysts, while the durability of catalysts is well retained. The facet evolution creates a set of samples with tunable ratios of high-index to low-index facets. The results reveal that the excellent ORR performance of Pt multicubes is a combined result of active sites by high-index facets and low resistance by flat surface. It is anticipated that this work will offer a new approach to facet-controlled synthesis and ORR catalysts design.

Keywords: electrochemistry; nanostructures; oxygen; platinum; surface analysis.