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Balancing Activity and Stability in a Ternary Au‐Pd/Fe Electrocatalyst for ORR with High Surface Coverages of Au
Author(s) -
Yang Xiaofang,
Hu Jun,
Wu Ruqian,
Koel Bruce E.
Publication year - 2019
Publication title -
chemcatchem
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.497
H-Index - 106
eISSN - 1867-3899
pISSN - 1867-3880
DOI - 10.1002/cctc.201800503
Subject(s) - electrocatalyst , bimetallic strip , catalysis , ternary operation , monolayer , materials science , chemical engineering , electrolyte , kinetics , nanostructure , oxygen reduction reaction , inorganic chemistry , electrochemistry , chemistry , nanotechnology , electrode , organic chemistry , physics , quantum mechanics , computer science , engineering , programming language
Sluggish kinetics of the oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) and low durability of ORR catalysts in polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cells (PEM‐FCs) requires a continued search for advanced catalysts. Bimetallic catalysts demonstrate enhanced kinetics due to the optimized electronic properties from alloying but can suffer from poor stability of the active metals. Herein we report our findings that while bulk gold is catalytically inactive, high coverages (> 0.6 monolayer) of Au deposited on a Pd 3 Fe(111) surface were highly active and stable. These properties of Au‐modified Pd 3 Fe(111) surfaces are associated with initial formation of 2D nanostructures at step edges and the transition of 2D to 3D nanostructures under reaction conditions. The balancing of activity and stability in this ternary Au‐Pd/Fe electrocatalyst provides a potential candidate for non‐Pt, highly stable ORR catalysts. Similar nanostructures and conditions may be able to activate gold for use in other electrocatalytic reactions.