1. Deciphering nanostructural evolution of PtCu/C–N electrocatalyst via identical location transmission electron microscopy imaging: Gram-scale synthesis and superior activity in oxygen reduction reaction.
- Author
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Pavlets, Angelina, Pankov, Ilya, Moguchikh, Elizaveta, Suprun, Evgeny, Gerasimov, Evgeny, Guterman, Vladimir, and Alekseenko, Anastasia
- Subjects
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TRANSMISSION electron microscopy , *OXYGEN reduction , *BIMETALLIC catalysts , *HYDROGEN evolution reactions , *HYDROGEN as fuel , *ENERGY levels (Quantum mechanics) , *FUEL cells - Abstract
Electrocatalysts play a pivotal role in advancing proton-exchange membrane fuel cell (PEMFC) for hydrogen energy applications. In this study, we investigate a novel PtCu/C N electrocatalyst synthesized via a gram-scale synthesis approach, which demonstrates remarkable activity and stability in the oxygen reduction reaction (ORR). The catalyst's effectiveness stems from its unique structure, combining bimetallic nanoparticles (NPs) and an N-doped carbon support. Employing identical location transmission electron microscopy (IL-TEM) imaging, we observe significant NP structure reorganization upon activation influenced by the upper limiting potential. Notably, the PtCu/C N catalyst activated to 1.0 V surpasses the United States Department of Energy (DOE) target for ORR activity by 3.3-fold. These findings underscore the potential of this catalyst in enhancing the performance of PEMFCs, marking a significant advancement in hydrogen energy technology. [Display omitted] • Catalyst's effectiveness attributed to unique structure of bimetallic NPs and N-doped support. • Vital reorganization of NPs occurs under the upper limiting potential of activation. • PtCu/C N catalyst activated to 1.0 V surpasses DOE target for ORR activity by 3.3-fold. • IL-TEM method comes to the rescue in assessing NPs' reorganization. • Findings highlight potential of bimetallic catalyst in enhancing PEMFC performance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Published
- 2024
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