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Ligand effect in surface atomic sites of group VI B transition metals on ultrathin Pt nanowires for enhanced oxygen reduction

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Abstract

Increasing the utilization efficiency of platinum is critical for advancing proton exchange-membrane fuel cells (PEMFCs). Despite extensive research on catalysts for the cathodic oxygen reduction reaction (ORR), develo** highly active and durable Pt-based catalysts that can suppress surface dealloying in corrosive acid conditions remains challenging. Herein, we report a facile synthesis of bimetallic ultrathin PtM (M = Mo, W, and Cr) nanowires (NWs) composed of group VI B transition metal atomic sites anchored on the surface. These NWs possess uniform sizes and well-controlled atomic arrangements. Compared to PtW and PtCr catalysts, the PtMo0.05 NWs exhibit the highest half-wave potential of 0.935 V and a mass activity of 1.43 A·mgPt−1. Remarkably, they demonstrate a remarkable 23.8-fold enhancement in mass activity compared to commercial Pt/C for ORR, surpassing previously reported Pt-based catalysts. Additionally, the PtMo NWs cathode in membrane electrode assembly tests achieves a remarkable peak power density of 1.443 W·cm−2 (H2-O2 conditions at 80 °C), which is 1.09 times that of commercial Pt/C. The ligand effect in the bimetallic surface not only facilitates strong coupling between Mo (4d) and Pt (5d) atomic orbitals to hinder atom leaching but also modulates the d-states of active site, significantly optimizing the adsorption of key oxygen (⋆O and ⋆OH) species and accelerating the rate-determining step in ORR pathways.

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Acknowledgements

This research was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (No. 22275009), SINOPEC (contact No. 421028), and Fundamental Research Funds for the Central Universities (No. XK2020-02). We thank the BL14W1 station in Shanghai Synchrotron Radiation Facility (SSRF). The authors would like to express their gratitude to Prof. Zhongbin Zhuang, Prof. Wei Zhu, and Mr. Cheng** Chen from BUCT for their assistance with the MEA test.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. State Key Laboratory of Chemical Resource Engineering, College of Chemistry, Bei**g University of Chemical Technology, Bei**g, 100029, China

    Yuwei He, Yueguang Chen, Renjie Wu, Zhihe **ao, Mengxian Li & Leyu Wang

  2. State Key Laboratory of Petroleum Molecular and Process Engineering, SINOPEC Research Institute of Petroleum Processing Co., Bei**g, 100083, China

    Chunfeng Shi

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  1. Yuwei He
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Correspondence to Yueguang Chen, Chunfeng Shi or Leyu Wang.

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Ligand effect in surface atomic sites of group VI B transition metals on ultrathin Pt nanowires for enhanced oxygen reduction

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He, Y., Chen, Y., Wu, R. et al. Ligand effect in surface atomic sites of group VI B transition metals on ultrathin Pt nanowires for enhanced oxygen reduction. Nano Res. 17, 5298–5304 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12274-024-6528-2

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12274-024-6528-2

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