High performance platinum single atom electrocatalyst for oxygen reduction reaction

TLDR

Large‑scale sustainable polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cells require high‑performance, low‑platinum‑consumption cathode catalysts for the oxygen reduction reaction. The study reports a cost‑effective, durable carbon black‑supported platinum single‑atom electrocatalyst tolerant to CO and methanol for the cathodic oxygen reduction reaction. The catalyst is a carbon black‑supported platinum single‑atom material anchored on pyridinic nitrogen, and theoretical calculations confirm its CO/methanol tolerance and high ORR activity. The catalyst achieves a peak power density of 680 mW cm⁻² at 80 °C with only 0.09 mg Pt cm⁻² loading (0.13 g Pt kW⁻¹), demonstrates excellent durability, and theoretical analysis identifies single‑pyridinic‑nitrogen‑anchored Pt sites as the active, CO/methanol‑tolerant centers.

Abstract

Abstract For the large-scale sustainable implementation of polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cells in vehicles, high-performance electrocatalysts with low platinum consumption are desirable for use as cathode material during the oxygen reduction reaction in fuel cells. Here we report a carbon black-supported cost-effective, efficient and durable platinum single-atom electrocatalyst with carbon monoxide/methanol tolerance for the cathodic oxygen reduction reaction. The acidic single-cell with such a catalyst as cathode delivers high performance, with power density up to 680 mW cm −2 at 80 °C with a low platinum loading of 0.09 mg Pt cm −2 , corresponding to a platinum utilization of 0.13 g Pt kW −1 in the fuel cell. Good fuel cell durability is also observed. Theoretical calculations reveal that the main effective sites on such platinum single-atom electrocatalysts are single-pyridinic-nitrogen-atom-anchored single-platinum-atom centres, which are tolerant to carbon monoxide/methanol, but highly active for the oxygen reduction reaction.