Nano-engineered catalysts for high-performance oxygen reduction reaction

The efficient energy conversion of fuel cells is greatly constrained by the slow oxygen reduction reac tion(ORR)kinetics,which necessitates the use of highly active metal catalysts such as platinum(Pt).The critical challenge limiting large-scale usage of Pt is the capital cost that can be addressed through a pro totypical approach by embedding metal nanoparticles(NPs),e.g.,Pt NPs,in the conductive framework However,previously reported embedding approaches are sophisticated and suffer from limited yields leading to higher chemical process costs and remaining distant from commercial viability.Here,we re port a facile,cost-effective and time-efficient structural tuning approach to synthesizing ultrafine Pt NP impregnated within a conductive and highly porous carbon framework via a microwave-assisted polyo reduction method.Pt NPs with a uniform size of~2.27 nm can be successfully integrated within the pore of the carbon framework,enabling homogeneous dispersion.Benefiting from these highly dispersed and ultrafine Pt NPs,the electrochemical surface area(ECSA)is improved to 142.98 m^(2)/gPt,2.25 times highe than that of the commercial counterpart(63.52 m^(2)/gPt).Furthermore,our structurally optimized catalys composite features a remarkably catalytic activity with a high half-wave potential(E_(1/2))of 0.895 V and an improved mass activity(MA)of 0.2289 A/mgPt,2.39-fold improvement compared to the commercia counterpart.In addition,orthogonal experiments were designed to identify the key process parameter for fabricating Pt/C catalysts,offering insights for scaled-up and industrial production.

Recent progress of Pt-based oxygen reduction reaction catalysts for proton exchange membrane fuel cells

With the increasing consumption of fossil fuels,proton exchange membrane fuel cells(PEMFCs)have attracted considerable attention as green and sustainable energy conversion devices.The slow kinetics of the cathodic oxygen reduction reaction(ORR)has a major impact on the performance of PEMFCs,and although platinum(Pt)can accelerate the reaction rate of the ORR,the scarcity and high cost of Pt resources still limit the development of PEMFCs.Therefore,the development of low-cost high-performance ORR catalysts is essential for the commercial application and development of PEMFCs.This paper reviews the research progress of researchers on Pt-based ORR catalysts in recent years,including Pt/C catalysts,Pt-based alloy catalysts,Pt-based intermetallic compounds,and Pt-based single-atom catalysts(SACs),with a focus on Pt-based alloy catalysts with different nanostructures.We described in detail the difficulties and solutions in the research process of various ORR catalysts and explained the principle of their activity enhancement with density functional theory(DFT).In addition,an outlook on the development of Pt-based catalysts is given,and reducing the amount of Pt used and improving the performance of catalysts are the directions to work on in the coming period.