Two major challenges,high cost and short lifespan,have been hindering the commercialization process of lowtemperature fuel cells.Professor Wei's group has been focusing on decreasing cathode Pt loadings without lo...Two major challenges,high cost and short lifespan,have been hindering the commercialization process of lowtemperature fuel cells.Professor Wei's group has been focusing on decreasing cathode Pt loadings without losses of activity and durability,and their research advances in this area over the past three decades are briefly reviewed herein.Regarding the Pt-based catalysts and the low Pt usage,they have firstly tried to clarify the degradation mechanism of Pt/C catalysts,and then demonstrated that the activity and stability could be improved by three strategies:regulating the nanostructures of the active sites,enhancing the effects of support materials,and optimizing structures of the three-phase boundary.For Pt-free catalysts,especialiy carbon-based ones,several strategies that they proposed to enhance the activity of nitrogen-/heteroatom-doped carbon catalysts are firstly presented.Then,an indepth understanding of the degradation mechanism for carbon-based catalysts is discussed,and followed by the corresponding stability enhancement strategies.Also,the carbon-based electrode at the micrometer-scale,faces the challenges such as low active-site density,thick catalytic layer,and the effect of hydrogen peroxide,which require rational structure design for the integral cathodic electrode.This review finally gives a brief conclusion and outlook about the low cost and long lifespan of cathodic oxygen reduction catalysts.展开更多
A non-noble metal oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) catalyst labeled as Co-C-N(800) was synthesized by heat-treating a mixture of urea, cobalt chloride and acetylene black for 2 h at 800 ℃ in an inert nitrogen atmo...A non-noble metal oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) catalyst labeled as Co-C-N(800) was synthesized by heat-treating a mixture of urea, cobalt chloride and acetylene black for 2 h at 800 ℃ in an inert nitrogen atmosphere. X-ray diffraction pattern indicates that a metallic β-Co is generated after the heat-treating process. The results from cyclic voltammograms show that the obtained Co-C-N(800) catalyst has good ORR catalytic activity in 0.5 mol/L H2SO4 solution. The catalyst is also good at methanol tolerance and stability in the acidic solution.展开更多
The high cost of Pt-based catalysts and the sluggish dynamics of the oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) severely hinder the rapid development of fuel cells, Therefore, the search for inexpensive, non-noble metal cataly...The high cost of Pt-based catalysts and the sluggish dynamics of the oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) severely hinder the rapid development of fuel cells, Therefore, the search for inexpensive, non-noble metal catalysts to substitute Pt-based catalysts has become a critical issue in the ORR research field, As an earth-abundant element, the use of Cu to catalyze the ORR has been explored with the ultimate target of finding a replacement for Pt-based catalysts in fuel cells. This review mainly focuses on recent research progress with Cu-based ORR catalysts and aims to aid readers' understanding of the status of development in this field. The review begins with a general update on the state of knowledge pertaining to ORR, This is followed by an overview of recent research based on Cu nanomaterial catalysts, which comprises Cu complexes, compounds, and other structures. Charting the development of Cu-based ORR catalysts shows that designing Cu-based materials to mimic active enzymes is an effective approach for ORR catalysis. By collecting recent developments in the field, we hope that this review will promote further development of Cu-based ORR catalysts and their application in fuel cells.展开更多
A comprehensive analysis of hydrogen/oxygen and hydrocarbon/oxygen counterflow diffusion flames has been conducted using corresponding detailed reaction mechanisms. The hydrocarbon fuels contain n-alkanes from CH4 to ...A comprehensive analysis of hydrogen/oxygen and hydrocarbon/oxygen counterflow diffusion flames has been conducted using corresponding detailed reaction mechanisms. The hydrocarbon fuels contain n-alkanes from CH4 to C16H34. The basic diffusion flame structures are demonstrated, analyzed, and compared. The effects of pressure, and strain rate on the flame behavior and energy-release rate for each fuel are examined systematically. The detailed chemical kinetic reaction mechanisms from Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) are employed, and the largest one of them contains 2115 species and 8157 reversible reactions. The results indicate for all of the fuels the flame thickness and heat release rate correlate well with the square root of the pressure multiplied by the strain rate. Under the condition of any strain rate and pressure, H2 has thicker flame than hydrocarbons, while the hydrocarbons have the similar temperature and main products distributions and almost have the same flame thickness and heat release rate. The result indicates that the fuels composed with these hydrocarbons will still have the same flame properties as any pure n-alkane fuel.展开更多
The poisoning effect of CO2 on the oxygen surface exchange kinetics of BSCF (Ba0.5 Sr0.5 Co0.8 Feo.2O3_δ) is investigated with a novel pulse isotopic exchange technique. The surface exchange rate of BSCF severely d...The poisoning effect of CO2 on the oxygen surface exchange kinetics of BSCF (Ba0.5 Sr0.5 Co0.8 Feo.2O3_δ) is investigated with a novel pulse isotopic exchange technique. The surface exchange rate of BSCF severely decreases after in situ exposure to CO2, which is ascribed to carbonate formation on the material surface. The detrimental effect of CO2 starts at a low temperature of 375 ℃ and concentration as low as 1%, and becomes more pro- nounced at higher temperatures. Degradation of the surface exchange kinetics is associated with a rapid loss of oxygen permeation performance of BSCF in CO2.展开更多
Pt/Ni catalysts modified with CeO2 nanoparticles were prepared by simple composite electrodeposition of Ni and CeO2,and spontaneous Ni partial replacement by Pt processes.The as-prepared CeO2-modified Pt/Ni catalysts ...Pt/Ni catalysts modified with CeO2 nanoparticles were prepared by simple composite electrodeposition of Ni and CeO2,and spontaneous Ni partial replacement by Pt processes.The as-prepared CeO2-modified Pt/Ni catalysts showed enhanced catalytic performance for ethanol electro-oxidation compared with pure Pt/Ni,and acetate species were proposed to be the main products of the oxidation when using these catalysts.The content of CeO2 in the as-prepared catalysts influenced their catalytic activity,with Pt/NiCe2(obtained from an electrolyte containing 100 mg/L CeO2 nanoparticles) exhibiting higher activity and relatively better stability in ethanol electro-oxidation.This was mainly due to the oxygen storage capacity of CeO2,the interaction between Pt and CeO2/Ni,and the relatively small contact and charge transfer resistances.The results of this work thus suggest that electrocatalysts with low price and high activity can be rationally designed and produced by a simple route for use in direct ethanol fuel cells.展开更多
Hierarchical nitrogen-doped carbon nanocages (hNCNC) with large specific surface areas were used as a catalyst support to immobilize Pt nanoparticles by a microwave-assisted polyol method. The Pt/hNCNC catalyst with...Hierarchical nitrogen-doped carbon nanocages (hNCNC) with large specific surface areas were used as a catalyst support to immobilize Pt nanoparticles by a microwave-assisted polyol method. The Pt/hNCNC catalyst with 20 wt% loading has a homogeneous dispersion of Pt nanoparticles with the average size of 3.3 nm, which is smaller than 4.3 and 4.9 nm for the control catalysts with the same loading supported on hierarchical carbon nanocages (hCNC) and commercial Vulcan XC-72, respec- tively. Accordingly, Pt/hNCNC has a larger electrochemical surface area than Pt/hCNC and Pt/XC-72. The Pt/hNCNC catalyst exhibited excellent electrocatalytic activity and stability for methanol oxidation, which was better than the control catalysts. This was attributed to the en- hanced interaction between Pt and hNCNC due to nitrogen participation in the anchoring function. By making use of the unique advantages of the hNCNC support, a heavy Pt loading up to 60 wt% was prepared without serious agglomeration, which gave a high peak-current density per unit mass of catalyst of 95.6 mA/mg for achieving a high power density. These results showed the potential of the Pt/hNCNC catalyst for methanol oxidation and of the new hNCNC support for wide applications.展开更多
The conventional Ni cermet anode suffers from severe carbon deposition and sulfur poisoning when fossil fuels are used. Alternative anode materials are desired for high performance hydrocarbon fuel solid oxide fuel ce...The conventional Ni cermet anode suffers from severe carbon deposition and sulfur poisoning when fossil fuels are used. Alternative anode materials are desired for high performance hydrocarbon fuel solid oxide fuel cells (SOFCs). We report the rational design of a very active Ni doped La0.6Sr0.4FeO3‐δ(LSFN) electrode for hydrocarbon fuel SOFCs. Homogeneously dispersed Ni‐Fe alloy nanoparticles were in situ extruded onto the surface of the LSFN particles during the operation of the cell. Sym‐metric SOFC single cells were prepared by impregnating a LSFN precursor solution onto a YSZ (yt‐tria stabilized zirconia) monolithic cell with a subsequent heat treatment. The open circuit voltage of the LSFN symmetric cell reached 1.18 and 1.0 V in humidified C3H8 and CH4 at 750??, respective‐ly. The peak power densities of the cells were 400 and 230 mW/cm2 in humidified C3H8 and CH4, respectively. The electrode showed good stability in long term testing, which revealed LSFN has good catalytic activity for hydrocarbon fuel oxidation.展开更多
A porous NiO/yttria-stabilized zirconia was prepared by gel casting technique. anode substrate for tubular solid oxide fuel cells Nano-scale samaria-doped ceria (SDC) particles were formed onto the anode substrate t...A porous NiO/yttria-stabilized zirconia was prepared by gel casting technique. anode substrate for tubular solid oxide fuel cells Nano-scale samaria-doped ceria (SDC) particles were formed onto the anode substrate to modify the anode microstructure by the impregnation of solution of Sm(NO3)3 and Ce(NO3)3. Electrochemical impedance spectroscopy, current-voltage and current-powder curves of the cells were measured using an electrochemical workstation. Scanning electron microcopy was used to observe the microstructure. The results indicate that the stability of the performance of the cell operated on humidified methane can be significantly improved by incorporating the nano-structured SDC particles, compared with the unmodified cell. This verifies that the coated SDC electrodes are very effective in suppressing catalytic carbon formation by blocking methane from approaching the Ni, which is catalytically active towards methane pyrolysis. In addition, it was found that a small amount of deposited carbon is beneficial to the performance of the anode. The cell showed a peak power density of 225 mW/cm^2 when it was fed with H2 fuel at 700 ℃, but the power density increased to 400 mW/cm^2 when the fuel was switched from hydrogen to methane at the same flow rate. Methane conversion achieved about 90%, measured by gas chromatogram with a 10.0 mL/min flow rate of fuel at 700 ℃. Although the carbon deposition was not suppressed absolutely, some deposited carbon was beneficial for performance improvement.展开更多
The development of a non-precious metal electrocatalyst (NPME) with a performance superior to commercial Pt/C for the oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) is important for the commercialization of fuel cells. We report...The development of a non-precious metal electrocatalyst (NPME) with a performance superior to commercial Pt/C for the oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) is important for the commercialization of fuel cells. We report the synthesis of a NPME by heat-treating Co-based metal organic frameworks (ZIF-67) with a small average size of 44 nm. The electrocatalyst pyrolyzed at 600 ~C showed the best performance and the performance was enhanced when it was supported on BP 2000. The resulting electrocatalyst was composed of 10 nm Co nanoparticles coated by 3-12 layers of N doped graphite layers which as a whole was embedded in a carbon matrix. The ORR performance of the electrocatalyst was tested by rotating disk electrode tests in O2-saturated 0.1 mol/L KOH under ambient conditions. The electrocatalyst (1.0 mg/cm~] showed an onset potential of 1.017 V ([vs. RHE] and a half-wave potential of 0.857 V (vs. RHE], which showed it was as good as the commer- cial Pt/C (20 BgPt/cm2). Furthermore, the electrocatalyst possessed much better stability and re- sistance to methanol crossover than Pt/C.展开更多
Pt based materials are the most efficient electrocatalysts for the oxygen reduction reaction(ORR)and methanol oxidation reaction(MOR)in fuel cells.Maximizing the utilization of Pt based materials by modulating their m...Pt based materials are the most efficient electrocatalysts for the oxygen reduction reaction(ORR)and methanol oxidation reaction(MOR)in fuel cells.Maximizing the utilization of Pt based materials by modulating their morphologies to expose more active sites is a fundamental objective for the practical application of fuel cells.Herein,we report a new class of hierarchically skeletal Pt-Ni nanocrystals(HSNs)with a multi-layered structure,prepared by an inorganic acid-induced solvothermal method.The addition of H_(2)SO_(4)to the synthetic protocol provides a critical trigger for the successful growth of Pt-Ni nanocrystals with the desired structure.The Pt-Ni HSNs synthesized by this method exhibit enhanced mass activity of 1.25 A mgpt−1 at 0.9 V(versus the reversible hydrogen electrode)towards ORR in 0.1-M HClO_(4),which is superior to that of Pt-Ni multi-branched nanocrystals obtained by the same method in the absence of inorganic acid;it is additionally 8.9-fold higher than that of the commercial Pt/C catalyst.Meanwhile,it displays enhanced stability,with only 21.6%mass activity loss after 10,000 cycles(0.6–1.0 V)for ORR.Furthermore,the Pt-Ni HSNs show enhanced activity and anti-toxic ability in CO for MOR.The superb activity of the Pt-Ni HSNs for ORR and MOR is fully attributed to an extensively exposed electrochemical surface area and high intrinsic activity,induced by strain effects,provided by the unique hierarchically skeletal alloy structure.The novel open and hierarchical structure of Pt-Ni alloy provides a promising approach for significant improvements of the activity of Pt based alloy electrocatalysts.展开更多
基金supported by the National Key Research and Development Program of China(No.2020YFB1506002,2019YFB1504503,2016YFB0101202)National 973 Program of China(No.2012CB215501)National Natural Science Foundation of China(No.52021004,22022502(2021),21822803(2019),21576031(2016),51272297(2013),20936008(2010),20676156(2007),20376088(2004),20176066(2002),29976047(2000)).
文摘Two major challenges,high cost and short lifespan,have been hindering the commercialization process of lowtemperature fuel cells.Professor Wei's group has been focusing on decreasing cathode Pt loadings without losses of activity and durability,and their research advances in this area over the past three decades are briefly reviewed herein.Regarding the Pt-based catalysts and the low Pt usage,they have firstly tried to clarify the degradation mechanism of Pt/C catalysts,and then demonstrated that the activity and stability could be improved by three strategies:regulating the nanostructures of the active sites,enhancing the effects of support materials,and optimizing structures of the three-phase boundary.For Pt-free catalysts,especialiy carbon-based ones,several strategies that they proposed to enhance the activity of nitrogen-/heteroatom-doped carbon catalysts are firstly presented.Then,an indepth understanding of the degradation mechanism for carbon-based catalysts is discussed,and followed by the corresponding stability enhancement strategies.Also,the carbon-based electrode at the micrometer-scale,faces the challenges such as low active-site density,thick catalytic layer,and the effect of hydrogen peroxide,which require rational structure design for the integral cathodic electrode.This review finally gives a brief conclusion and outlook about the low cost and long lifespan of cathodic oxygen reduction catalysts.
文摘A non-noble metal oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) catalyst labeled as Co-C-N(800) was synthesized by heat-treating a mixture of urea, cobalt chloride and acetylene black for 2 h at 800 ℃ in an inert nitrogen atmosphere. X-ray diffraction pattern indicates that a metallic β-Co is generated after the heat-treating process. The results from cyclic voltammograms show that the obtained Co-C-N(800) catalyst has good ORR catalytic activity in 0.5 mol/L H2SO4 solution. The catalyst is also good at methanol tolerance and stability in the acidic solution.
基金supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China(21575134,21275136)
文摘The high cost of Pt-based catalysts and the sluggish dynamics of the oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) severely hinder the rapid development of fuel cells, Therefore, the search for inexpensive, non-noble metal catalysts to substitute Pt-based catalysts has become a critical issue in the ORR research field, As an earth-abundant element, the use of Cu to catalyze the ORR has been explored with the ultimate target of finding a replacement for Pt-based catalysts in fuel cells. This review mainly focuses on recent research progress with Cu-based ORR catalysts and aims to aid readers' understanding of the status of development in this field. The review begins with a general update on the state of knowledge pertaining to ORR, This is followed by an overview of recent research based on Cu nanomaterial catalysts, which comprises Cu complexes, compounds, and other structures. Charting the development of Cu-based ORR catalysts shows that designing Cu-based materials to mimic active enzymes is an effective approach for ORR catalysis. By collecting recent developments in the field, we hope that this review will promote further development of Cu-based ORR catalysts and their application in fuel cells.
文摘A comprehensive analysis of hydrogen/oxygen and hydrocarbon/oxygen counterflow diffusion flames has been conducted using corresponding detailed reaction mechanisms. The hydrocarbon fuels contain n-alkanes from CH4 to C16H34. The basic diffusion flame structures are demonstrated, analyzed, and compared. The effects of pressure, and strain rate on the flame behavior and energy-release rate for each fuel are examined systematically. The detailed chemical kinetic reaction mechanisms from Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) are employed, and the largest one of them contains 2115 species and 8157 reversible reactions. The results indicate for all of the fuels the flame thickness and heat release rate correlate well with the square root of the pressure multiplied by the strain rate. Under the condition of any strain rate and pressure, H2 has thicker flame than hydrocarbons, while the hydrocarbons have the similar temperature and main products distributions and almost have the same flame thickness and heat release rate. The result indicates that the fuels composed with these hydrocarbons will still have the same flame properties as any pure n-alkane fuel.
基金This work was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (No.U1432108), the Fundamental Research Funds for the Central Universi- ties (No.XDJK2015C002 and No.WK2320000021), Provincial Natural Science Foundation (No.1408085ME85), Scientific Research Founda- tion for the Returned Overseas Chinese Scholars, State Education Ministry (No.WF2320000005), and the Opening Project of CAS Key Laboratory of Materials for Energy Conversion (No.KF2014003). Professor Henny J. M. Bouwmeester of University at Twente is deeply appreciated for fruitful discussions.
文摘The poisoning effect of CO2 on the oxygen surface exchange kinetics of BSCF (Ba0.5 Sr0.5 Co0.8 Feo.2O3_δ) is investigated with a novel pulse isotopic exchange technique. The surface exchange rate of BSCF severely decreases after in situ exposure to CO2, which is ascribed to carbonate formation on the material surface. The detrimental effect of CO2 starts at a low temperature of 375 ℃ and concentration as low as 1%, and becomes more pro- nounced at higher temperatures. Degradation of the surface exchange kinetics is associated with a rapid loss of oxygen permeation performance of BSCF in CO2.
基金supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (21307038 and 21577046)Key Project of Chinese Ministry of Education (212115)Physical Chemistry Experiment of Huanggang Normal University (2015CK12)~~
文摘Pt/Ni catalysts modified with CeO2 nanoparticles were prepared by simple composite electrodeposition of Ni and CeO2,and spontaneous Ni partial replacement by Pt processes.The as-prepared CeO2-modified Pt/Ni catalysts showed enhanced catalytic performance for ethanol electro-oxidation compared with pure Pt/Ni,and acetate species were proposed to be the main products of the oxidation when using these catalysts.The content of CeO2 in the as-prepared catalysts influenced their catalytic activity,with Pt/NiCe2(obtained from an electrolyte containing 100 mg/L CeO2 nanoparticles) exhibiting higher activity and relatively better stability in ethanol electro-oxidation.This was mainly due to the oxygen storage capacity of CeO2,the interaction between Pt and CeO2/Ni,and the relatively small contact and charge transfer resistances.The results of this work thus suggest that electrocatalysts with low price and high activity can be rationally designed and produced by a simple route for use in direct ethanol fuel cells.
基金supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China(21473089,51232003,21373108,51571110,21573107)the Nation-al Basic Research Program of China(973 Program,2013CB932902)+2 种基金Suzhou Science and Technology Projects(ZXG2013025)Changzhou Science and Technology Projects(CE20130032)supported by a Project Funded by the Technology Support Priority Academic Program Development of Jiangsu Higher Education Institutions
文摘Hierarchical nitrogen-doped carbon nanocages (hNCNC) with large specific surface areas were used as a catalyst support to immobilize Pt nanoparticles by a microwave-assisted polyol method. The Pt/hNCNC catalyst with 20 wt% loading has a homogeneous dispersion of Pt nanoparticles with the average size of 3.3 nm, which is smaller than 4.3 and 4.9 nm for the control catalysts with the same loading supported on hierarchical carbon nanocages (hCNC) and commercial Vulcan XC-72, respec- tively. Accordingly, Pt/hNCNC has a larger electrochemical surface area than Pt/hCNC and Pt/XC-72. The Pt/hNCNC catalyst exhibited excellent electrocatalytic activity and stability for methanol oxidation, which was better than the control catalysts. This was attributed to the en- hanced interaction between Pt and hNCNC due to nitrogen participation in the anchoring function. By making use of the unique advantages of the hNCNC support, a heavy Pt loading up to 60 wt% was prepared without serious agglomeration, which gave a high peak-current density per unit mass of catalyst of 95.6 mA/mg for achieving a high power density. These results showed the potential of the Pt/hNCNC catalyst for methanol oxidation and of the new hNCNC support for wide applications.
基金supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (51372271,51172275)the National Basic Research Program of China (973 Program,2012CB215402)~~
文摘The conventional Ni cermet anode suffers from severe carbon deposition and sulfur poisoning when fossil fuels are used. Alternative anode materials are desired for high performance hydrocarbon fuel solid oxide fuel cells (SOFCs). We report the rational design of a very active Ni doped La0.6Sr0.4FeO3‐δ(LSFN) electrode for hydrocarbon fuel SOFCs. Homogeneously dispersed Ni‐Fe alloy nanoparticles were in situ extruded onto the surface of the LSFN particles during the operation of the cell. Sym‐metric SOFC single cells were prepared by impregnating a LSFN precursor solution onto a YSZ (yt‐tria stabilized zirconia) monolithic cell with a subsequent heat treatment. The open circuit voltage of the LSFN symmetric cell reached 1.18 and 1.0 V in humidified C3H8 and CH4 at 750??, respective‐ly. The peak power densities of the cells were 400 and 230 mW/cm2 in humidified C3H8 and CH4, respectively. The electrode showed good stability in long term testing, which revealed LSFN has good catalytic activity for hydrocarbon fuel oxidation.
基金ACKNOWLEDGMENTS This work was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (No.20871110 and No.50730002). The authors express their appreciation to Xin-bo Lii, Qingdao Tianhe Graphite Co. Ltd. for supporting appropriate pore former graphite.
文摘A porous NiO/yttria-stabilized zirconia was prepared by gel casting technique. anode substrate for tubular solid oxide fuel cells Nano-scale samaria-doped ceria (SDC) particles were formed onto the anode substrate to modify the anode microstructure by the impregnation of solution of Sm(NO3)3 and Ce(NO3)3. Electrochemical impedance spectroscopy, current-voltage and current-powder curves of the cells were measured using an electrochemical workstation. Scanning electron microcopy was used to observe the microstructure. The results indicate that the stability of the performance of the cell operated on humidified methane can be significantly improved by incorporating the nano-structured SDC particles, compared with the unmodified cell. This verifies that the coated SDC electrodes are very effective in suppressing catalytic carbon formation by blocking methane from approaching the Ni, which is catalytically active towards methane pyrolysis. In addition, it was found that a small amount of deposited carbon is beneficial to the performance of the anode. The cell showed a peak power density of 225 mW/cm^2 when it was fed with H2 fuel at 700 ℃, but the power density increased to 400 mW/cm^2 when the fuel was switched from hydrogen to methane at the same flow rate. Methane conversion achieved about 90%, measured by gas chromatogram with a 10.0 mL/min flow rate of fuel at 700 ℃. Although the carbon deposition was not suppressed absolutely, some deposited carbon was beneficial for performance improvement.
基金supported by the National Basic Research Program of China(973 Program,2015CB932304)the National Natural Science Founda-tion of China(21436003)
文摘The development of a non-precious metal electrocatalyst (NPME) with a performance superior to commercial Pt/C for the oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) is important for the commercialization of fuel cells. We report the synthesis of a NPME by heat-treating Co-based metal organic frameworks (ZIF-67) with a small average size of 44 nm. The electrocatalyst pyrolyzed at 600 ~C showed the best performance and the performance was enhanced when it was supported on BP 2000. The resulting electrocatalyst was composed of 10 nm Co nanoparticles coated by 3-12 layers of N doped graphite layers which as a whole was embedded in a carbon matrix. The ORR performance of the electrocatalyst was tested by rotating disk electrode tests in O2-saturated 0.1 mol/L KOH under ambient conditions. The electrocatalyst (1.0 mg/cm~] showed an onset potential of 1.017 V ([vs. RHE] and a half-wave potential of 0.857 V (vs. RHE], which showed it was as good as the commer- cial Pt/C (20 BgPt/cm2). Furthermore, the electrocatalyst possessed much better stability and re- sistance to methanol crossover than Pt/C.
文摘Pt based materials are the most efficient electrocatalysts for the oxygen reduction reaction(ORR)and methanol oxidation reaction(MOR)in fuel cells.Maximizing the utilization of Pt based materials by modulating their morphologies to expose more active sites is a fundamental objective for the practical application of fuel cells.Herein,we report a new class of hierarchically skeletal Pt-Ni nanocrystals(HSNs)with a multi-layered structure,prepared by an inorganic acid-induced solvothermal method.The addition of H_(2)SO_(4)to the synthetic protocol provides a critical trigger for the successful growth of Pt-Ni nanocrystals with the desired structure.The Pt-Ni HSNs synthesized by this method exhibit enhanced mass activity of 1.25 A mgpt−1 at 0.9 V(versus the reversible hydrogen electrode)towards ORR in 0.1-M HClO_(4),which is superior to that of Pt-Ni multi-branched nanocrystals obtained by the same method in the absence of inorganic acid;it is additionally 8.9-fold higher than that of the commercial Pt/C catalyst.Meanwhile,it displays enhanced stability,with only 21.6%mass activity loss after 10,000 cycles(0.6–1.0 V)for ORR.Furthermore,the Pt-Ni HSNs show enhanced activity and anti-toxic ability in CO for MOR.The superb activity of the Pt-Ni HSNs for ORR and MOR is fully attributed to an extensively exposed electrochemical surface area and high intrinsic activity,induced by strain effects,provided by the unique hierarchically skeletal alloy structure.The novel open and hierarchical structure of Pt-Ni alloy provides a promising approach for significant improvements of the activity of Pt based alloy electrocatalysts.