Nanostructured alloy catalysts for oxygen electroreduction in PEMFC

The wide application of PEM fuel cells is impeded by various challenges including the sluggish kinetics of oxygen electroreduction at the cathode side, the stability, and the cost of the catalysts. Carbon supported PtM (M = first row transition metal) binary alloys have been widely investigated for oxygen electroreduction and showed enhanced catalytic activity than commonly used Pt. However, studies have shown that the non-precious elements in these alloys undergo dissolution under the fuel cell operating conditions, resulting in severe performance degradation. Therefore, the study of active and stable catalysts for PEM fuel cells is of great interest. Our previous thin film high throughput screenings predicated that PtW based binary and ternary alloys offer both catalytic enhancement and chemical stability for oxygen electroreduction, it is necessary to synthesize these nano powders with controllable size and microcomposition. In this presentation, we'll report our recent progress in the synthesis and characterization of platinum and tungsten based alloy nanoparticles, and their catalytic activity for oxygen electroreduction.