A New Generation of Platinum‐Copper Electrocatalysts with Ultra‐Low Concentrations of Platinum for Oxygen‐Reduction Reactions in Alkaline Media

Abstract

In order to reduce the cost and enhance the performance of the cathode catalyst for fuel cell, support‐less, ultra‐low Pt contents based nanostructured platinum copper (Pt−Cu) nanoparticles (NPs), with differential Pt‐contents, were prepared using CTAB‐reduction approach and avoiding utilization of high Pt contents, while keeping high electrocatalytic activity and durability. The novelty of present work lies in the suggested synthesis method for support‐free Pt−Cu NPs with lower Pt loadings (0.04‐0.25 wt.%). Pt0.25Cu NPs (Eo 0.98 V vs. RHE) exhibits high ORR performance compared to Pt/C (20 wt.%) (Eo 0.97 V vs. RHE). The synthesis method of our Pt−Cu NPs will find wide application in the preparation of bimetallic nanocatalysts.

Synthesis and Characterization of Mesoporous Silica Templates (KIT-6, SBA-15) and Mesoporous Platinum

“…Distinct peaks suggested crystallinity with long-range structural ordering. [45][46][47][48][49] After removing the silica template, Fig. 9 shows the mesoporous Pt's SEM images.…”

Recent Advances of PtCu Alloy in Electrocatalysis: Innovations and Applications

“…In 2020, Parkash et al developed a cost-effective support-less ORR catalyst with ultra-low Pt content (0.04-0.25%) using a hydrothermal approach [42]. The synthesized Pt 0.25 Cu nanoparticles (NPs), demonstrated exceptional electrocatalytic activity with an onset potential of 0.98 V vs. RHE and a half-wave potential of 0.84 V vs. RHE (Figure 11a).…”

“…Notably, PtCu catalysts play a pivotal role in alcohol oxidation reactions (AOR), which is a key conversion process in direct alcohol fuel cells [29][30][31][32][33][34][35][36]. Moreover, the advantages of PtCu alloys were demonstrated in nitrogen reduction [37], ammonia oxidation [38], nitrate reduction [39][40][41], and oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) [42][43][44][45], underscoring the versatility and effectiveness of PtCu alloys in addressing a wide array of environmental and energy challenges. By expanding their application scope to encompass these newer fields in electrocatalysis, PtCu alloys contribute significantly to advancing renewable energy technologies.…”

Copper(i) as a reducing agent for the synthesis of bimetallic PtCu catalytic nanoparticles

“…S5 †), which are close to the inter-planar distance of the PtCu (111) planes and Cu (111) planes reported in the literature. 37,38 The Fast Fourier Transform (FFT) of the HRTEM conrmed the polycrystalline nature of the PtCu alloy nanoparticles. We have obtained spots at 0.22, 0.20, and 0.13 nm that can correspond to the presence of the Pt (111), Cu (111) and PtCu alloy (200) crystalline planes, conrming the metallic character of our catalyst 37,39 (Fig.…”