Amorphous TiO<sub><i>x</i></sub> Stabilized Intermetallic Pt<sub>3</sub>Ti Nanocatalyst for Methanol Oxidation Reaction.

Zhang, Longhai; Zhang, Jiaxi; Tan, Weiquan; Zhong, Chengzhi; Tu, Yuanhua; Song, Huiyu; Du, Li; Liao, Shijun et al. · Nano Lett · 2023

basic_science · Level V

Where this comes from

Abstract

Intermetallic compounds, featuring atomically ordered structures, have emerged as a class of promising electrocatalysts for fuel cells. However, it remains a formidable challenge to controllably synthesize Pt-based intermetallics during the essential high-temperature annealing process as well as stabilize the nanoparticles (NPs) during the electrocatalytic process. Herein, we demonstrated a Ketjen black supported intermetallic Pt<sub>3</sub>Ti nanocatalyst coupled with amorphous TiO<sub><i>x</i></sub> species (Pt<sub>3</sub>Ti-TiO<sub><i>x</i></sub>/KB). The TiO<sub><i>x</i></sub> can not only confine Pt<sub>3</sub>Ti NPs during the synthesis and electrocatalytic process by a strong metal-oxide interaction but also promote the water dissociation for generating more OH species, thus facilitating the conversion of CO<sub>ad</sub>. The Pt<sub>3</sub>Ti-TiO<sub><i>x</i></sub>/KB showed a significantly enhanced mass activity (2.15 A mg<sub>Pt</sub><sup>-1</sup>) for the methanol oxidation reaction, compared with Pt<sub>3</sub>Ti/KB and Pt/C, and presented an impressively high mass activity retention (∼71%) after the durability test. This work provides an effective strategy of coupling Pt-based intermetallics with functional oxides for developing highly performed electrocatalysts.