Carbon-supported precious metal catalysts are widely used in heterogeneous catalysis and electrocatalysis, and enhancement of catalyst dispersion and stability by controlling the interfacial structure is highly desired. Here we report a new method to deposit metal oxides and metal nanoparticles on graphene and form stable metal-metal oxide-graphene triple junctions for electrocatalysis applications. We first synthesize indium tin oxide (ITO) nanocrystals directly on functionalized graphene sheets, forming an ITO-graphene hybrid. Platinum nanoparticles are then deposited, forming a unique triple-junction structure (Pt-ITO-graphene). Our experimental work and periodic density functional theory (DFT) calculations show that the supported Pt nanoparticles are more stable at the Pt-ITO-graphene triple junctions. Furthermore, DFT calculations suggest that the defects and functional groups on graphene also play an important role in stabilizing the catalysts. These new catalyst materials were tested for oxygen reduction for potential applications in polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cells, and they exhibited greatly enhanced stability and activity.

A significant decrease in performance was observed for commercial Pt/C due to electrochemical oxidation of the carbon support and subsequent detachment and agglomeration of Pt particles. The Pt/TiO(2) cathode catalyst exhibited excellent fuel cell performance and ultrahigh stability under accelerated stress test conditions and can be considered as a promising alternative for improving the reliability and durability of PEMFCs.

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Fuel cells as an attractive clean energy technology have recently regained popularity in academia, government, and industry. In a mainstream proton exchange membrane (PEM) fuel cell, platinum‐group‐metal (PGM)‐based catalysts account for ≈50% of the projected total cost for large‐scale production. To lower the cost, two materials‐based strategies have been pursued: 1) to decrease PGM catalyst usage (so‐called low‐PGM catalysts), and 2) to develop alternative PGM‐free catalysts. Grand stability challenges exist when PGM catalyst loading is decreased in a membrane electrode assembly (MEA)—the power generation unit of a PEM fuel cell—or when PGM‐free catalysts are integrated into an MEA. More importantly, there is a significant knowledge gap between materials innovation and device integration. For example, high‐performance electrocatalysts usually demonstrate undesired quick degradation in MEAs. This issue significantly limits the development of PEM fuel cells. Herein, recent progress in understanding the degradation of low‐PGM and PGM‐free catalysts in fuel cell MEAs and materials‐based solutions to address these issues are reviewed. The key factors that degrade the MEA performance are highlighted. Innovative, emerging material concepts and development of low‐PGM and PGM‐free catalysts are discussed.

The oxygen evolution reaction (OER) generally exists in electrochemistry-enabled applications that are coupled with cathodic reactions like hydrogen evolution, carbon dioxide reduction, ammonia synthesis, and electrocatalytic hydrogenation. The OER heavily impacts the overall energy efficiency of these devices because the sluggish OER kinetics result in a huge overpotential, thus, a large amount of efficient catalysts are needed. The benchmark iridium and ruthenium (Ir/Ru)based materials (mostly used in acid media) are, however, significantly limited by their scarcity. Non-precious metal-based catalysts (NPMCs) have emerged as the most promising alternatives; however, they tend to degrade quickly under the harsh operating conditions of typical OER devices. Another challenge is the unsatisfying performance of OER catalysts when integrated in real-world devices. Herein, the OER active sites for three mainstream types of NPMCs including nonprecious transition metal oxides/(oxy)hydroxides, metal-free carbon materials, and hybrid non-precious metal and carbon composites are reviewed. In addition, possible degradation mechanisms for active sites and mitigation strategies are discussed in detail. This review also provides insights into the gaps between R&D of NPMCs for the OER and their applications in practical devices.