Multimetallic AuPd@Pd@Pt core-interlayer-shell icosahedral electrocatalysts for highly efficient oxygen reduction reaction

Qingfeng Xu; Wenlong Chen; Yucong Yan; Zhemin Wu; Yi Jiang; Junjie Li; Ting Bian; Hui Zhang; Jianbo Wu; Deren Yang

doi:10.1016/j.scib.2018.03.013

Multimetallic AuPd@Pd@Pt core-interlayer-shell icosahedral electrocatalysts for highly efficient oxygen reduction reaction

Sci Bull (Beijing). 2018 Apr 30;63(8):494-501. doi: 10.1016/j.scib.2018.03.013. Epub 2018 Mar 26.

Authors

Qingfeng Xu¹, Wenlong Chen², Yucong Yan¹, Zhemin Wu¹, Yi Jiang¹, Junjie Li¹, Ting Bian¹, Hui Zhang³, Jianbo Wu⁴, Deren Yang¹

Affiliations

¹ State Key Laboratory of Silicon Materials, School of Materials Science & Engineering, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310027, China.
² State Key Laboratory of Metal Complex Matrix, School of Materials Science & Engineering, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai 200240, China.
³ State Key Laboratory of Silicon Materials, School of Materials Science & Engineering, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310027, China. Electronic address: msezhanghui@zju.edu.cn.
⁴ State Key Laboratory of Metal Complex Matrix, School of Materials Science & Engineering, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai 200240, China. Electronic address: jianbowu@sjtu.edu.cn.

PMID: 36658810
DOI: 10.1016/j.scib.2018.03.013

Abstract

Incorporating Pt with core metals into Pt-based core-shell catalysts is regarded as a promising strategy to substantially enhance the catalytic properties towards oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) in fuel cells due to the synergetic effect between distinct metals. In this wok, ultrathin Pt skins with two atomic layers were epitaxially coated on as-prepared icosahedral Au₅₀Pd₅₀, Au₆₀Pd₄₀ and Au₆₆Pd₃₄ nanocrystal seeds, which are constructed with alloyed cores and Pd shells with different thickness. Through electron microscopic characterizations, Pd interlayers with tunable thickness of 3, 6, and 12 atomic layers can be found in the Au₆₆Pd₃₄@Pt, Au₆₀Pd₄₀@Pt and Au₅₀Pd₅₀@Pt icosahedra, respectively. These icosahedral AuPd@Pd@Pt nanocrystals show substantially enhanced activities and durabilities in electrocatalytic measurements towards ORR compared to Au₇₅Pd₂₅@Pt icosahedra without Pd interlayer and commercial Pt/C catalysts. Specifically, Au₆₀Pd₄₀@Pt icosahedra with 6 atomically thick Pd interlayer display the best electrocatalytic performances, whose mass activities before and after durability tests of 50,000 cycles are 11.6 and 30.2 times, respectively, as high as that of the commercial Pt/C.

Keywords: Core-interlayer-shell; Electrocatalysis; Fuel cells; Nanocrystals; Oxygen reduction.