Facile synthesis of platinum-copper aerogels for the oxygen reduction reaction

Abstract

Although carbon-supported platinum (Pt/C) has been generally used as a catalyst for the oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) in fuel cells, its practical application is limited by the corrosion reaction of the carbon support. Therefore, it is essential to develop new self-supported catalysts for the ORR. Noble metal aerogels represent highly promising self-supported catalysts with large specific surface area and excellent electrocatalytic activity. Classic sol-gel processes for aerogel synthesis usually take days due to the slow gelation kinetics. Here, we report a straightforward strategy to synthesize platinum-copper (PtCu) aerogels by reducing the metal salt solution with an excess of sodium borohydride at room temperature. The PtCu aerogels are formed in a relatively short time of 1 h through a rapid nucleation mechanism. The obtained PtCu aerogels have a highly porous structure with an appreciable topological surface area of 33.0 m2/g and mainly exposed (111) facets, which are favorable for the ORR. Consequently, the PtCu aerogels exhibit excellent ORR activity with a mass activity of 369.4 mA/mgPt and a specific activity of 0.847 mA/cm2, which are 2.6 and 3.3 times greater than those of Pt/C, respectively. The PtCu aerogels show remarkable ORR catalysis among all the noble metal aerogels that have been reported. The porous morphology and outstanding electrocatalytic activities of the PtCu aerogels illustrate their promising applications in fuel cells.

Biomass‐Derived Electrocatalysts: Low‐Cost, Robust Materials for Sustainable Electrochemical Energy Conversion

“…[ 3,7–11 ] Initially, in fuel cell research, it was discovered that the electrocatalytic performance of carbon‐supported Pt (Pt/C) nanoparticles (NPs) was superior to that of pure Pt NPs. [ 3,7–11,34,35 ] This breakthrough piqued interest in harnessing carbon materials for electrocatalysis. Introducing carbon supports increases the specific surface area and electrical conductivity substantially, simultaneously mitigating NP aggregation and resulting in improved electrocatalytic performance.…”

“…Compared with the other supports, such as the metal foams and frameworks, [ 34,36–39 ] carbon supports are smaller and more adaptable. More importantly, numerous studies have found that the outstanding performance of carbon‐supported catalysts probably arises from the interface effect between carbon supports and catalyst particles.…”

Synergistic Catalytic Effects of CeCuO3 @ Vulcan Carbon Composites on the Oxygen Reduction Reaction

“…Energy conversion and storage devices such as reversible fuel cells, metal-air batteries and water electrolysers are governed by the kinetics of two reactions: the oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) and the oxygen evolution reaction (OER). [1][2][3][4][5][6][7][8][9][10][11] In an alkaline medium, the kinetics for these reactions is faster than in an acidic medium. [12] RE-based perovskite nanocatalysts have unique catalytic properties.…”

Mixed‐Dimensional Partial Dealloyed PtCuBi/C as High‐Performance Electrocatalysts for Methanol Oxidation with Enhanced CO Tolerance

“…Alloying Pt with earth-abundant non-precious metals proves an effective strategy to improve the electrocatalytic activity and addresses the aforementioned issues. [16][17][18] For example, PtCu, [19] PtCo, [20] PtNi, [21] and PtBi [22] have been prepared as anode catalysts for MOR. Among a variety of bimetallic alloys, PtCu alloy electrocatalysts have been widely used in MOR for their high stability and excellent tolerance to CO poisoning.…”