Communication—Platinum and Tin Oxide Dispersed in a Fluffy TiO2 Nanolayer for Electrocatalytic Reduction of Oxygen

Pt catalysts perform well in the oxygen reduction reaction (ORR), but they suffer weak bonding with carbon supports, leading to catalyst degradation. We introduce a fluffy titanium dioxide (TiO2) nanolayer with a very high specific surface area as support, made possible with a new condensed layer deposition technique. When Pt and SnO2 were incorporated in it as co-catalyst, a remarkable improvement in ORR onset potential was achieved at 930 mV vs RHE in sulfuric acids. The mass activity was 2.66 times that of Pt/C at 900 mV. The fluffy layer stabilized SnO2 and together, they enabled a pronounced ligand effect.