Fuel cells with high energy conversion efficiency, renewable sources, and low environmental pollution are expected to come into widespread commercial use, but a key challenge is the lack of low-cost, active and robust catalysts for fuel cell reactions. In this work, we focus on developing the ability to finely control the composition and nanostructure of ternary Pt-based catalysts for fuel cell reactions. Composition-tunable Pt-based ternary catalysts are synthesized by varying the feeding ratios and the reaction temperatures using the wet chemical method. The catalysts are examined by electrochemical experiments to access the catalytic activity for oxygen reduction reaction (ORR). Density functional theory computation is also performed to further assess the relationship among the composition, structure, and activity of the catalysts. Implications of the results for the design, synthesis, and preparation of low-cost and highly-active catalysts for fuel cells will also be discussed.

Synthesis of composition tunable platinum-based ternary nanoalloy catalysts for fuel cell applications

256th National Meeting (2018)

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