Mastronardi, Valentina;
Magliocca, Emanuele;
Gullon, José Solla;
Brescia, Rosaria;
Pompa, Pier Paolo;
Miller, Thomas S;
Moglianetti, Mauro;
(2022)
Ultrasmall, Coating-Free, Pyramidal Platinum Nanoparticles for High Stability Fuel Cell Oxygen Reduction.
ACS Applied Materials and Interfaces
, 14
(32)
pp. 36570-36581.
10.1021/acsami.2c07738.
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Abstract
Ultrasmall (<5 nm diameter) noble metal nanoparticles with a high fraction of {111} surface domains are of fundamental and practical interest as electrocatalysts, especially in fuel cells; the nanomaterial surface structure dictates its catalytic properties, including kinetics and stability. However, the synthesis of size-controlled, pure Pt-shaped nanocatalysts has remained a formidable chemical challenge. There is an urgent need for an industrially scalable method for their production. Here, a one-step approach is presented for the preparation of single-crystal pyramidal nanocatalysts with a high fraction of {111} surface domains and a diameter below 4 nm. This is achieved by harnessing the shape-directing effect of citrate molecules, together with the strict control of oxidative etching while avoiding polymers, surfactants, and organic solvents. These catalysts exhibit significantly enhanced durability while, providing equivalent current and power densities to highly optimized commercial Pt/C catalysts at the beginning of life (BOL). This is even the case when they are tested in full polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cells (PEMFCs), as opposed to rotating disk experiments that artificially enhance electrode kinetics and minimize degradation. This demonstrates that the {111} surface domains in pyramidal Pt nanoparticles (as opposed to spherical Pt nanoparticles) can improve aggregation/corrosion resistance in realistic fuel cell conditions, leading to a significant improvement in membrane electrode assembly (MEA) stability and lifetime.
| Type: | Article |
|---|---|
| Title: | Ultrasmall, Coating-Free, Pyramidal Platinum Nanoparticles for High Stability Fuel Cell Oxygen Reduction |
| Location: | United States |
| Open access status: | An open access version is available from UCL Discovery |
| DOI: | 10.1021/acsami.2c07738 |
| Publisher version: | https://doi.org/10.1021/acsami.2c07738 |
| Language: | English |
| Additional information: | This version is the author accepted manuscript. For information on re-use, please refer to the publisher’s terms and conditions. |
| Keywords: | aggregation/corrosion resistance, durability, full polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cells (PEMFCs), oxygen reduction reaction, single-crystal Pt pyramidal nanocatalysts, {111} surface domains |
| UCL classification: | UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > UCL BEAMS > Faculty of Engineering Science UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > UCL BEAMS > Faculty of Engineering Science > Dept of Chemical Engineering UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > UCL BEAMS UCL |
| URI: | https://discovery.ucl.ac.uk/id/eprint/10154273 |
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