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An oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) is the key half reaction of proton exchange membrane fuel cells (PEMFCs), and is highly dependent on Pt-based nanocrystals as core electrocatalysts. Despite the exceptional ORR activity from adjusting the electronic structures of surface or near-surface atoms, several serious issues, including the corrosion of carbon supports, the preferential leaching of active metal elements, the instability of surface low-coordinated atoms and the sintering/agglomeration of nanocrystals, still exist, challenging the ORR durability of developed Pt-based ORR catalysts. From the point of view of the catalyst structure design, in this review, we summarized the state-of-the-art structural regulation strategies for improving the ORR durability of Pt-based catalysts. The current limitation of Pt-based binary catalysts for ORR electrocatalysis is firstly discussed, and the detailed strategies are further classified into the optimization of supports, metal-doped alloys, core/shell structures, intermetallics and high-entropy alloys, etc. The structure–performance relationship is detailedly explained, especially emphasizing the elimination of the above restrictions. Finally, the existing challenges and future research direction are further presented, aiming at practicing the PEMFC devices of the ultradurable Pt-based catalysts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Proton exchange membrane (PEM) fuel cells using Pt-based materials as electrocatalysts have achieved a decent performance, represented by the launched Toyota Mirai vehicle. The ideal PEM fuel cells consume stored pure hydrogen and air. However, SO2, as a primary air contaminant, may be fed along with air at the cathode, leading to Pt site deactivation. Therefore, it is important to improve the SO2 tolerance of catalysts for the stability of the oxygen reduction reaction (ORR). In this work, we develop the Pt/C-TiO2 catalyst against SO2 poisoning during ORR. Impressively, the hybrid Pt/C-TiO2 catalyst with 20 mass % TiO2 shows the best ORR and anti-toxic performance: the kinetic current density of ORR is 20.5% higher and the degradation rate after poisoning is 50% lower than Pt/C. The interaction between Pt and TiO2 as well as the abundant hydroxyl groups on the surface of TiO2 are both revealed to account for the accelerated removal of poisonous SO2 on Pt surfaces. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The highly efficient energy conversion of the polymer‐electrolyte‐membrane fuel cell (PEMFC) is extremely limited by the sluggish oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) kinetics and poor electrochemical stability of catalysts. Hitherto, to replace costly Pt‐based catalysts, non‐noble‐metal ORR catalysts are developed, among which transition metal–heteroatoms–carbon (TM–H–C) materials present great potential for industrial applications due to their outstanding catalytic activity and low expense. However, their poor stability during testing in a two‐electrode system and their high complexity have become a big barrier for commercial applications. Thus, herein, to simplify the research, the typical Fe–N–C material with the relatively simple constitution and structure, is selected as a model catalyst for TM–H–C to explore and improve the stability of such a kind of catalysts. Then, different types of active sites (centers) and coordination in Fe–N–C are systematically summarized and discussed, and the possible attenuation mechanism and strategies are analyzed. Finally, some challenges faced by such catalysts and their prospects are proposed to shed some light on the future development trend of TM–H–C materials for advanced ORR catalysis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • Mn-N-C catalysts were developed by a newly designed bis(imino)-pyridine precursor. • The structures of Mn-N-C are dependent on the growth of the precursor with NaCl. • The Mn-N-C nanosheets with short Mn-N length shows excellent ORR performance. • This work provides new understanding for the rational design of M−N−C. Revealing the correlation between the micro–macro structures and active sites of transition metal-nitrogen-carbon (M−N−C) for electrochemical oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) is essential to develop non-precious metal catalyzed fuel cells and metal-air batteries. Herein, Mn-N-C catalysts with various morphologies and microstructures were prepared using Mn2+ coordinated bis(imino)-pyridine-based polymer with N-rich content as a new platform of precursor, which was synthesized via a condensation reaction of 1H-1, 2, 4-Triazole-3, 5-Diamine and 2, 6-Diacetylpyridine. Results demonstrate that morphologies and fine structures (pore structure, N dopants, surface area, and atomic Mn-N bond length, etc.) of Mn-N-C catalysts are strongly dependent on the growth of the specific precursor with and without NaCl as a template and the secondary calcination temperature can further optimize the bond length of Mn-Nx moieties, resulting in significant activity differences between correspondingly derived Mn-N-C catalysts for ORR. Compared to Mn-N-C derived from the synthesized precursor without NaCl, Mn-N-C obtained by the precursor grown directly on NaCl features an ultra-thin nanosheet-like structure with a hierarchical pore distribution and a shorter Mn-N bond, presenting high ORR performance with a half-wave potential of 0.88 V in 0.1 M KOH and a tiny potential loss of 11 mV after 30 K cycles, which is also proved by high-performance practical single Zn-Air battery (139 mW·cm−2) and proton exchange membrane fuel cell (400 mW·cm−2). This work provides a new understanding of the critical role of morphology and Mn-N bonding length of M−N−C for enhancing ORR and a new route of developing non-Fe/Co-based M−N−C catalysts for electrocatalysis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The serious durability concerns of carbon supported Pt electrocatalysts for oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) have strictly limited the commercialization of fuel cells. Herein, cable-like carbon nanotubes (CNTs)@SnO 2 core@shell supports with regulable electronic metal-support interaction (EMSI) are designed for Pt nanoparticles (NPs) as ORR catalysts. Impressively, the best-performing Pt-CNT@SnO 2 catalyst with optimized d- band center achieves an excellent activity (mass activity (MA) of 0.68 A mg Pt −1 at 0.9 V iR-free and peak power density of 1618 mW cm−2) and record-high durability in H 2 -O 2 fuel cells (9.2 % MA and 8 % power density loss after 5k cycles under 1.0–1.5 V) among the reported Pt-based catalysts, which is also superior to the U.S. DOE 2025 targets. Density functional theory (DFT) calculations reveal that the strong metal-support bonding interaction (SMSBI) endows much larger adhesion energy and migration barrier towards Pt atoms compared to carbon supports, leading to the extraordinarily high stability in fuel cells. [Display omitted] • The Pt-CNT@SnO 2 catalyst demonstrates the best stability among reported Pt-based ORR catalysts under high potential regions. • Strong metal-support bonding interaction (SMSBI) between Pt and SnO 2 is able to stabilize Pt NPs against migration/agglomeration. • The d -band center of Pt is optimized by regulating the electronic metal-support interaction (EMSI). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A new platinum group metal (PGM)-free proton exchange membrane fuel cell (PEMFC) cathode catalyst materials, synthesized using the VariPore™ method by Pajarito Powder, LLC, are characterized for their structure and activity. The physico-chemical analysis of the iron-nitrogen-carbon (Fe-N-C) electrocatalysts show mesoporous carbon material effectively doped with iron and nitrogen. The materials have an average pore size of 7–8 nm and high specific surface area. The Fe-N-C catalysts exhibit good oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) activity in 0.5 M H 2 SO 4 electrolyte with high half-wave potential and sustainable electrochemical stability over 10,000 repeated potential cycles with insignificant losses in their activities. As cathode catalysts in a PEMFC, the Fe-N-C materials deliver remarkably good fuel cell performance at low overpotential approaching that of the commercial Pt catalyst. The high ORR electrocatalytic activity of these Fe-N-C catalysts is credited to the synergy between nitrogen-moieties, specifically pyrrolic-N, pyridinic-N, and graphitic-N, and iron in addition to the high mesoporosity that facilitate an effective reaction path in boosting the electrocatalytic activity and stability. [Display omitted] • State-of-the-art commercial PGM-free catalysts for ORR were characterized and evaluated. • Was shown that active centres are atomically dispersed. • Performance of electrocatalysts was evaluated in industrially manufactured MEA form-factor. • The fuel cell performance is close to the state-of-the-art R&D PGM-free catalysts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]