Enhanced durability of Au cluster decorated Pt nanoparticles for the oxygen reduction reaction

A low temperature approach via alcohol reduction has been employed to prepare Au cluster decorated carbon-supported Pt nanoparticles for the oxygen reduction reaction (ORR). X-ray diffraction at wide angles (WAXS) shows that both metallic Pt and Au exhibit their respective face-centered cubic structures, indicative of no alloy formation between Pt and Au. Both WAXS and transmission electron microscopy characterizations demonstrate that no major change in mean particle size for bimetallic catalysts was observed even after heat treatment at 600 °C, providing evidence for an enhanced thermal stability of the bimetallic catalysts. An ORR activity comparison proves that the initial ORR activity on the PtAu/C catalysts is comparable with that on the Pt/C. Moreover, the modification of carbon-supported Pt nanoparticles by Au clusters leads to a significant enhancement in the long-term durability of the catalyst. Thus, such a Pt-Au bimetallic electrocatalyst may be the more promising cathode catalyst for proton exchange membrane fuel cells.