Extended
thin-film electrocatalyst structures based on PtNi nanowires,
synthesized via spontaneous galvanic displacement, have shown great
promise as efficient and durable catalysts for the oxygen reduction
reaction in polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cells. In this work,
atomic layer deposition (ALD) of Pt onto Ni nanowire (NiNW) substrates
is demonstrated for the first time with the goal to develop a more
scalable synthesis route based on vapor-phase deposition. ALD was
used to deposit variable amounts of Pt onto NiNWs, producing PtNi
nanowires with 3–16 wt % Pt. The Pt nanoparticle growth mechanism
with increasing ALD cycles and physiochemical properties of as-received
materials and ALD-modified catalysts was examined through a variety
of techniques, including electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction, and
rotating-disk-electrode analysis. A total of 30 cycles of Pt ALD followed
by H2 annealing was found to produce a catalyst with mass
activity of over 4 times greater than the U.S. Department of Energy
2020 target, thereby demonstrating the potential of ALD as a method
for producing gram-scale quantities of high-performing extended surface
electrocatalysts.
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