层级多孔碳载铂催化剂的制备及可达性

层级多孔碳作为氧还原铂基催化剂载体的选择之一, 简单的旋转圆盘电极(RDE)验证此类催化剂具有较高的氧还原活性, 但几乎都缺少膜电极(MEA)性能验证, 实用性无法保证. 本文设计制备了基于聚苯胺的层级多孔碳（NHPC）载铂催化剂（Pt/NHPC850）, 研究了其氧还原活性、 MEA质子传输和氧传输特性. RDE测试研究表明, Pt/NHPC850催化剂在低I/C（离聚物与碳载体质量比）时的面积活性低于实心碳载铂催化剂（Pt/XC-72）, 但当I/C增大到与膜电极中一致时, 由于Nafion树脂对Pt催化剂的毒化作用增强, 其面积活性反而优于 Pt/XC-72. Pt/NHPC850催化剂的高Pt分散性及其优异的抗Nafion毒化性能, 使其在I/C为0.8时的质量活性为Pt/XC-72催化剂的1.34倍. MEA质子传输研究表明, 即使在高加湿条件下, Pt/NHPC850质子电阻率仍高达72.6 mΩ·cm², 为Pt/XC-72的3倍. Pt/NHPC850制备的膜电极极化曲线在500 mA/cm²电流密度下性能迅速下降, Pt/NHPC850的氧增益电压达到144.4 mV, 比Pt/XC-72高56.7 mV. 表明Pt/NHPC850膜电极的质子传输和氧传输性能较差. 对比Pt/NHPC850催化剂的RDE和MEA的测试结果, 说明以层级多孔碳为载体的铂碳催化剂虽然耐Nafion毒化能力提高, 但是质子和氧气的氧传输性较差, 此类层级多孔碳还需进一步优化其结构, 才有可能满足低铂质子交换膜燃料电池（PEMFC）的应用需求.     

Nafion含量与阴离子吸附对于铂单原子层核壳结构催化剂制备的影响（英文）

本实验利用铜的欠电位沉积技术,在旋转圆盘电极上以碳负载的钯纳米颗粒为核,制备铂单原子层核壳结构催化剂.电化学测试用于表征不同Nafion含量的添加对于核壳结构催化剂制备的影响.实验证明,Nafion的存在会影响铜的欠电位沉积,铂与铜的置换反应,并决定最终制备的核壳结构催化剂的氧还原催化反应的活性.当催化剂薄层中Nafion的含量低于5%的时候,添加Nafion不但可以帮助催化剂附着在旋转圆盘电极表面,而且可以保证制备的催化剂具有较好的氧还原反应催化活性.在H_2SO_4溶液中,钯纳米颗粒的表面存在特殊的阴离子吸/脱附电化学信号峰,这些信号峰可以用来监测Nafion含量对于铂单原子层核壳结构催化剂制备的影响.     

采用解离的氢原子作为还原剂制备高氧还原电催化性能的Pd核@Pt壳纳米结构

质子交换膜燃料电池(PEMFC)作为一种清洁、高效的能源转化装置,已经备受学术界与产业界的关注.然而,高活性、高稳定性与低成本的铂基阴极氧还原(ORR)电催化剂的缺乏,严重限制PEMFC的大规模商业化应用.为提高贵金属铂的电催化性能,核壳纳米结构的研究受到广范关注.然而,核壳纳米结构的制备过程通常需要采用有机前驱体、表面活性剂与较高的反应温度,导致大多核壳结构制备方法的大规模应用受到限制.我们在室温下无表面活性剂与高沸点溶剂的参与下,通过钯表面吸附的解离的氢原子来还原K2PtCl4,得到Pd核@Pt壳纳米结构.通过改变加入K2PtCl4的量,可以成功控制壳的厚度;通过透射电子显微镜(TEM)观察得知,我们制备了铂壳厚度分别为0.45,0.75,0.9 nm的核壳结构.Pd核@Pt壳纳米结构的良好的纳米晶体结构与外延生长模式,通过高分辨透射电子显微镜(HRTEM)与能量色散谱仪(EDS)得到证实.同时,所制备Pd核@Pt壳样品的核壳结构通过高角环形暗场-扫描透射-元素分布(HAADF-STEM-EDX)表征方法,得到证实.X射线粉末衍射(XRD)表征证实,样品Pd核@Pt壳并无单独的Pd或Pt衍射峰出现,而是表现出良好的同种晶相结构;相对于单质Pt,样品中Pd核的存在导致Pd核@Pt壳核壳结构表现出一定程度的晶格紧缩.X射线光电子能谱(XPS)表明,钯核的存在导致铂壳的电子结合能增大,并且当铂壳厚度增大到一定程度后,核壳结构引起的电子效应维持不变.通过XPS分峰拟合可知,Pd核@Pt壳结构中零价态的铂含量均在80%以上,并且零价态的铂含量随着铂壳层厚度的增大而增大.采用电感耦合等离子体(ICP)与XPS,发现铂的表面富集现象,并且铂表面富集现象随着铂壳层厚度的增大而增大.在半电池中,经过循环伏安扫描活化,Pd核@Pt壳表现出明显的铂的氢吸附与脱附特征峰,再次证明了铂壳层的成功包覆.Pd核@Pt壳纳米颗粒表现出优于Pt/C(JM)的面积比活性、质量比活性及电化学稳定性.核壳结构的良好的ORR电催化性能,来源于催化剂表面含氧物种吸附强度的减弱;上述现象归因于钯核与铂壳之间的电子效应与晶格应力效应.此处简易、清洁的核壳结构制备方法也可以用来在温和条件下制备Ni核@Pt壳等核壳结构.     

铁氮掺杂对石墨烯担载铂催化剂氧还原反应活性的影响

高氧还原活性担载铂催化剂的研发是加快质子交换膜燃料电池商业化进程的主要手段之一。以石墨烯为碳源,1,10-菲啰啉为氮源,FeCl3为铁源,用浸渍法制备铁氮掺杂石墨烯(Fe/N-G)载体,并通过乙二醇还原法获得PtFe/N-G催化剂,探究铁氮原子的引入对石墨烯担载铂催化剂氧还原反应催化活性的影响。采用X射线衍射、比表面积和孔径分布测试、X射线光电子能谱等表征手段对载体及催化剂结构进行表征,使用电化学方法对载体和催化剂的氧还原反应活性进行测试。结果表明,PtFe/N-G催化剂的氧还原反应起始电位及半波电位分别为0.96 V、0.83 V,优于相同Pt担载量的商业20%Pt/C催化剂。铁氮掺杂后,石墨烯载体具有较大的孔径更有利于氧还原反应过程中生成物与反应物的传递,PtFe/N-G催化剂中存在吡啶氮和Fe-N型氮与铂纳米颗粒的协同催化,以及铂纳米颗粒与铁氮掺杂石墨烯载体间的相互作用,是PtFe/N-G催化剂具有优异的氧还原催化活性的可能原因。     

Nafion含量与阴离子吸附对于铂单原子层核壳结构催化剂制备的影响

本实验利用铜的欠电位沉积技术,在旋转圆盘电极上以碳负载的钯纳米颗粒为核,制备铂单原子层核壳结构催化剂. 电化学测试用于表征不同Nafion含量的添加对于核壳结构催化剂制备的影响. 实验证明,Nafion的存在会影响铜的欠电位沉积,铂与铜的置换反应,并决定最终制备的核壳结构催化剂的氧还原催化反应的活性. 当催化剂薄层中Nafion的含量低于5%的时候,添加Nafion不但可以帮助催化剂附着在旋转圆盘电极表面,而且可以保证制备的催化剂具有较好的氧还原反应催化活性. 在H₂SO₄溶液中,钯纳米颗粒的表面存在特殊的阴离子吸/脱附电化学信号峰,这些信号峰可以用来监测Nafion含量对于铂单原子层核壳结构催化剂制备的影响.     

甲醇对炭载铂和四羧基酞菁钴催化氧还原动力学的影响

运用旋转圆盘电极技术和线性扫描伏安方法研究比较了甲醇对炭载铂（Pt/C）和800 ℃热处理的炭载四羧基酞菁钴（CoPcTc/C）催化氧还原动力学的影响.结果表明，对于Pt/C催化剂，在大于0.64 V和小于0.18 V（vs SCE）的电位范围，甲醇的氧化和氧的还原互不影响，而在其它电位范围，甲醇使Pt/C催化氧还原的性能严重降低.对于800 ℃热处理的CoPcTc/C，在整个电位范围内，甲醇的存在对氧还原都没有影响，是一种活性较高、耐甲醇能力强的氧还原电催化剂.     

金属/非金属元素掺杂提升原子级分散碳基催化剂的氧还原性能

原子级别分散的过渡金属和氮共掺杂碳基催化剂(M-N_x-C)具有反应活性好、选择性高、制备容易等优点,被认为是最有可能取代价格昂贵的铂催化剂用作燃料电池阴极的一类非贵金属催化剂。然而,该类催化剂在阴极侧氧还原反应过程中存在活性位点密度较低、耐久性不足的问题制约了其在燃料电池中的实际应用。研究表明,通过多种金属/非金属元素的掺杂调控活性位点的电子结构与空间构型可显著提升M-N_x-C催化剂的氧还原活性和稳定性,已成为掺杂碳基催化剂领域的热门研究课题。本文综述了近年来国内外在多种金属/非金属元素掺杂提升M-N_x-C碳基催化剂性能方面的主要研究工作,包括金属元素掺杂、非金属元素掺杂等研究。文章进一步总结和指出了M-N_x-C碳基催化剂面临的问题及挑战,并对其发展前景和未来研究方向进行了展望。     

耐甲醇碳载酞菁-铂纳米复合物催化电极

本文报导了一种H2Pc-Pt/C纳米复合物电化学催化剂,采用TEM、XRD、ICP对其组成与结构进行了表征. 在含有0.5 M甲醇的硫酸溶液中,H2Pc-Pt/C-Nafion?催化电极催化氧还原反应的起始电位比由商购Pt/C-JM与Nafion?制备的Pt/C-JM-Nafion?催化电极提高了200 mV,其催化氧还原反应的比活性是Pt/C-JM-Nafion?催化电极的7倍,表明其具有优良的耐醇性和对氧还原反应的高催化活性及良好的选择性. 不同于FePc,H2Pc与Nafion?在乙醇中不能形成可溶性配合物,H2Pc-Pt/C-Nafion?催化电极的耐醇性主要得益于H2Pc微晶的覆盖作用和H2Pc微晶/Pt边界上活性位点对氧还原反应的高催化活性及良好的选择性.     

微量Co修饰的碳载超细Pt纳米粒子的制备及其在燃料电池氧还原催化中的应用

质子交换膜燃料电池(PEMFC)具有清洁、高效等优点,是一种理想的汽车动力电源.然而,由于其阴极氧还原反应(ORR)速率缓慢,需要使用大量的Pt基催化剂,导致燃料电池成本居高不下,严重制约了PEMFC的商业化发展.将Pt与过渡金属Fe, Co, Ni等形成合金,对表面Pt原子的几何结构和电子结构进行调变,可以有效提高催化剂的活性,实现Pt用量和燃料电池成本的降低.但是目前合金催化剂多采用溶剂热、浸渍-高温退火等制备方法,使用有毒有害试剂和难清洗的表面活性剂,且过程复杂、能耗高,不利于大规模化生产.此外,合金中过渡金属占比高,在燃料电池工况下,大量过渡金属溶解,加速了膜的降解,导致实际PEMFC性能的降低.对此,我们探索了一种简便有效的方法制备高活性、高稳定性的碳载Pt-Co催化剂.在没有添加表面活性剂的情况下,采用硼氢化钠辅助乙二醇还原法合成了具有超小尺寸和均匀分布的Pt-Co纳米颗粒,后续酸刻蚀处理去除不稳定的Co原子,重组双金属纳米颗粒的表面结构形成富Pt壳层,进一步提高了催化剂的活性和稳定性.通过电感耦合等离子体、X射线粉末衍射、透射电子显微镜、高分辨透射电子显微镜、高角环形暗场-扫描透射-元素分布及光电子能谱等物理表征证实了微量Co改性的碳载超细铂合金纳米颗粒的组成和结构.进一步对催化剂进行旋转圆盘电极和单电池测试,结果表明, Pt_(36)Co/C具有明显高于商业化Pt/C的有效电化学活性面积和电池性能.此外,加速衰减测试和衰减前后的电镜图片表明, Pt_(36)Co/C催化剂的稳定性相较于Pt/C亦有所增强.分析Pt-Co/C催化性能提高的原因,主要归于以下三点:(1)催化剂纳米颗粒在载体上分布均匀,且具有超小的粒径尺寸,提供了大量的三相反应界面位点;(2)双金属配体和电子效应的协同作用,降低了氧化物质在催化表面的吸附能力,加速了ORR的电催化动力学;(3)酸蚀刻导致的不稳定Co的溶解及催化剂表面结构的重排,形成了富Pt壳层结构,有利于提高催化剂的稳定性.这种简单有效的合金制备方法可以在电催化领域推广使用.     

低铂催化剂Pd@Pt/C及PdPt@Pt/C在燃料电池中的应用

采用分步高压有机溶剂法制备了金属含量为20%(w)的低铂核壳结构催化剂Pd12%Pt3%@Pt5%/C(记为:PdPt@Pt/C)和Pd12%@Pt8%/C(记为:Pd@Pt/C),其中金属钯、铂的含量分别为12%和8%(w)。研究表明:对于甲醇的阳极氧化过程,催化剂PdPt@Pt/C甲醇氧化峰电流密度是Pd@Pt/C的1. 87倍;且催化剂PdPt@Pt/C氧还原催化具有较大的扩散电流密度,比Pd@Pt/C具有较好的氧还原催化能力。采用X射线衍射(XRD)、透射电镜(TEM)、循环伏安法(CV)等方法对催化剂进行表征的结果表明:催化剂采用PdPt为核,Pt为壳的催化剂PdPt@Pt/C,其分散性及电化学活性均比Pd为核,Pt为壳制得的催化剂Pd@Pt/C好。     

高载量PtNi金属间化合物的氧还原电催化性能

采用改进的多元醇法制备了PtNi(原子比1∶1)质量分数为60%的高金属载量碳载PtNi合金(PtNi/C), 通过在450 ℃下退火处理获得了碳载PtNi金属间化合物氧还原电催化剂. 该催化剂对氧还原的质量比活性和面积比活性分别是商业化Pt/C(JM Pt/C)催化剂的1.66和2.3倍; 并且加速耐久性测试后PtNi金属间化合物催化剂的质量比活性仍与Pt/C的初始性能相当, 耐久性得到了大幅提升. PtNi/C金属间化合物催化剂氧还原活性和稳定性的提高归因于PtNi的有序原子排布结构及催化剂表面零价金属含量的提高.     

Trimetallic Au@PdPt core-shell nanoparticles with ultrathin PdPt skin as highly stable electrocatalysts for the oxygen reduction reaction in acid solution

To design efficient and low-cost core-shell electrocatalysts with an ultrathin platinum shell, the balance between platinum dosage and durability in acid solution is of great importance. In the present work, trimetallic Au@PdPt core-shell nanoparticles(NPs)with Pd/Pt molar ratios ranging from 0.31:1 to 4.20:1 were synthesized based on the Au catalytic reduction strategy and the subsequent metallic replacement reaction. When the Pd/Pt molar ratio is 1.19:1(designated as Au@Pd_(1.19) Pt_1 NPs), the superior electrochemical activity and stability were achieved for oxygen reduction reaction(ORR) in acid solution. Especially, the specific and mass activities of Au@Pd_(1.19) Pt_1 NPs are 1.31 and 6.09 times higher than those of commercial Pt/C catalyst. In addition, the Au@Pd_(1.19) Pt_1 NPs presented a good durability in acid solution. After 3000 potential cycles between 0.1 and 0.7 V(vs. Ag/AgCl), the oxygen reduction activity is almost unchanged. This study provides a simple strategy to synthesize highperformance trimetallic ORR electrocatalyst for fuel cells.     

The MOF/GO-based derivatives with Co@CoO core-shell structure supported on the N-doped graphene as electrocatalyst for oxygen reduction reaction

The development of nonprecious catalyst for oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) is important for the commercialization of the alkaline fuel cells (AFCs). Herein, we prepared a kind of Co-based nanoparticles (NPs) with a core-shell (Co@CoO) structure supported on the N-doped graphene (Co@CoO/NG) as an efficient ORR catalyst via simply pyrolyzing the ZIF-67 anchored on the synthesized graphene oxide (GO). The catalytic activity for ORR of the obtained Co@CoO/NG is comparable with the state-of-art Pt/C catalyst in terms of the onset and half-wave potential in the alkaline solution. In addition, the Co@CoO/NG exhibited an excellent ORR durability and antimethanol activity compared to the commercial Pt/C. This research would provide a simple strategy to prepare the high-performance nonprecious metal-based catalysts for AFCs.     

ORR催化剂Nim@Pt1Aun-m-1 (n = 19, 38, 55, 79; m = 1, 6, 13, 19)的密度泛函研究

燃料电池的阴极反应的反应动力学速率非常慢,限制了燃料电池技术的发展。因此,寻找低成本、高活性的氧还原催化剂具有重要的意义。多元金属核壳团簇表现出优良的氧还原活性。在本文中,以原子个数为19、38、55和79的八面体团簇作催化剂模型,采用密度泛函理论(GGA-PBE-PAW)方法,研究了一系列不同尺寸核壳Ni_m@M_n-m (n = 19, 38, 55, 79;m = 1, 6, 13, 19; M = Pt, Pd, Cu, Au, Ag)团簇催化剂的活性规律。优化*O、*OH和*OOH吸附中间体结构,计算了吸附自由能和反应吉布斯自由能,以超电势为催化活性的描述符,研究了单原子Pt嵌入Ni_m@Au_n-m团簇的活性规律。结果表明,Ni₆@Pt₁Au₃₁具有最好的ORR活性,并且Ni₁@Pt₁Au₁₇、Ni₆@Pt₁Au₃₁、Ni₁₃@Pt₁Au₄₁、Ni₁₉@Pt₁Au₅表现出比Pt₃₈团簇以及Pt(111)表面更高的催化活性。Bader电荷和态密度分析表面,核壳之间的电荷转移以及单原子Pt嵌入Ni_m@Au_n-m表面,改变了吸附位的电子性质,降低了*OH的吸附强度,提高了ORR活性。单原子Pt嵌入Ni_m@Au_n-m表面可能是一种合适的多元金属核壳ORR催化剂设计策略。     

高耐甲醇性和稳定性的纳米复合阴极催化剂

报导了一种由酞菁氧钛、铂金属纳米簇和氮杂化碳纳米角结构基元组装而成的新型纳米复合电化学催化剂(TiOPc-Pt/NSWCNH)的制备、表征及电催化性能. 在TiOPc-Pt/NSWCNH催化剂中, 氮杂化碳纳米角堆积形成多孔导电网络, 铂纳粒子均匀地分散于上述多孔导电网络中, 部分铂纳粒子与TiOPc微晶直接接触. 在甲醇存在的条件下, TiOPc-Pt/NSWCNH对氧还原反应表现出高催化活性和优良的选择性与稳定性. 在甲醇浓度为0.5 mol·L^-1的高氯酸水溶液中, TiOPc-Pt/NSWCNH催化氧还原反应的起始电位比商购Pt/C-JM催化剂提高了260 mV, 其质量活性和比活性(0.85 V (参比电极为可逆氢电极(RHE)))分别为83.5 A·g^-1和0.294 mA·cm^-2, 远高于Pt/C-JM催化剂. 在含氧气氛下, 于甲醇高氯酸水溶液中, 对TiOPc-Pt/NSWCNH和TiOPc-Pt/C催化剂进行了循环伏安法加速老化实验研究(0.6-1.0 V, 15000个循环), 结果表明TiOPc-Pt/NSWCNH具有更高的稳定性. TiOPc-Pt/NCNH催化剂的高耐醇性可能得益于由TiOPc微晶向Pt纳米粒子的电子转移, 其高稳定性主要得益于氮杂化碳纳米角的高石墨化程度及纳米角堆积而成网络结构.     

Hollow PtFe Alloy Nanoparticles Derived from Pt-Fe3O4 Dimers through a Silica-Protection Reduction Strategy as Efficient Oxygen Reduction Electrocatalysts

The development of efficient and stable electrocatalysts for the oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) is critical for the large-scale production of fuel cells. Platinum (Pt) nanoparticle catalysts show excellent performance for ORR, though the high cost of Pt is a limiting factor that directly impacts fuel cell production costs. Alloying Pt with other transition metals is an effective strategy to reduce Pt utilization whilst maintaining good ORR performance. In this work, novel hollow PtFe alloy catalysts were successfully synthesized by high-temperature pyrolysis of SiO₂-coated Pt-Fe₃O₄ nanoparticle dimers supported on carbon at 900 °C, followed by SiO₂ shell removal and partial dealloying of the PtFe nanoparticles formed using HF. The obtained hollow PtFe nanoparticle catalysts (denoted herein as PtFe-900) showed a 2.3-fold enhancement in ORR mass activity compared to PtFe nanoparticles synthesized without SiO₂ protection, and a remarkable 7.8-fold enhancement relative to a commercial Pt/C catalyst. Further, after 10 000 potential cycles, the ORR mass activity of PtFe-900 remained very high (90.9 % of the initial mass activity). The outstanding ORR performance of PtFe-900 can be attributed to the modification of Pt lattice and electronic structure by alloying with Fe at high temperature under the protection of the SiO₂ coating. This work guides the development of improved, highly dispersed Pt-based alloy nanoparticle catalysts for ORR and fuel cell applications.     

FePt nanoparticles assembled on graphene as enhanced catalyst for oxygen reduction reaction

Seven-nanometer FePt nanoparticles (NPs) were synthesized and assembled on graphene (G) by a solution-phase self-assembly method. These G/FePt NPs were a more active and durable catalyst for oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) in 0.1 M HClO(4) than the same NPs or commercial Pt NPs deposited on conventional carbon support. The G/FePt NPs annealed at 100 °C for 1 h under Ar + 5% H(2) exhibited specific ORR activities of 1.6 mA/cm(2) at 0.512 V and 0.616 mA/cm(2) at 0.557 V (vs Ag/AgCl). As a comparison, the commercial Pt NPs (2-3 nm) had specific activities of 0.271 and 0.07 mA/cm(2) at the same potentials. The G/FePt NPs were also much more stable in the ORR condition and showed nearly no activity change after 10?000 potential sweeps. The work demonstrates that G is indeed a promising support to improve NP activity and durability for practical catalytic applications.     

In situ constructing of ultrastable ceramic@graphene core-shell architectures as advanced metal catalyst supports toward oxygen reduction

The changeable structure of 2 D graphene nanosheets makes the Pt-based nanoparticles(NPs) possess a low efficiency toward oxygen reduction reaction(ORR) and a short lifetime for proton exchange membrane fuel cells. Thus, a unique Ti C@graphene core-shell structure material with low surface energy is designed and prepared by an in situ forming strategy, and firstly applied as a stable support of Pt NPs.The as-prepared Pt/GNS@Ti C catalyst presents a high activity. Especially, its ORR stability is remarkably improved. Even after 15000 potential cycles, the half-wave potential and mass activity toward ORR have almost no change. This can be attributed to that the graphene nanosheet existing in a sphere shape effectively avoids the restacking or folding caused by the giant surface tension in 2 D graphene nanosheets,impeding the decrease of the triple-phase boundary on Pt NPs. Significantly, the power density of fuel cells with our novel catalyst reaches 853 m V cm~(–2) under a low Pt loading(0.25 mg Pt cm~(–2)) and H_2/Air conditions. These indicate the new ceramic@graphene core-shell nanocomposite is a promising application in fuel cells and other fields.     

石墨烯载Pt纳米粒子的原位还原制备及氧还原电催化性能

采用改进的化学氧化还原法(Hummers法)氧化鳞片石墨, 再超声振荡剥离得到氧化石墨烯(GO)水溶液. 通过聚二烯丙基二甲基氯化铵(PDDA)分子对GO表面功能化, 由于带正电荷的PDDA分子功能化的GO与带负电荷的^2-离子间的静电作用, 使Pt离子组装到GO表面, 再通过原位还原被束缚的Pt离子, 同时GO被还原成石墨烯片(GNs), 得Pt/PDDA-GNs催化剂. 相对空白GNs负载的Pt纳米粒子和商业化Pt/C(JM), Pt/PDDA-GNs催化剂有较高的氧还原活性和稳定性. 前者可归因于Pt颗粒尺寸细小和分散度较高, 后者是由于PDDA分子与Pt原子间的电子作用及对Pt颗粒的钉扎作用, 从而减缓了Pt的氧化和迁移.     

具有优异甲醇耐受性的Rh掺杂PdCu有序金属间化合物纳米粒子增强氧还原电催化

Direct methanol fuel cells (DMFCs), as one of the important energy conversion devices, are of great interest in the fields of energy, catalysis and materials. However, the application of DMFCs is presently challenged because of the limited activity and durability of cathode catalysts as well as the poisoning issues caused by methanol permeation to the cathode during operation. Herein, we report a new class of Rh-doped PdCu nanoparticles (NPs) with ordered intermetallic structure for enhancing the activity and durability of the cathode for oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) and achieving superior methanol tolerance. The disordered Rh-doped PdCu NPs can be prepared via a simple wet-chemical method, followed by annealing to convert it to ordered phases. The results of transmission electron microscopy (TEM), scanning electron microscopy-energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (SEM-EDS), power X-ray diffraction (PXRD) analysis and high resolution TEM (HRTEM) successfully demonstrate the formation of near-spherical NPs with an average size of 6.5 ± 0.5 nm and the conversion of the phase structure. The complete phase transition temperatures of Rh-doped PdCu NPs and PdCu are 500 and 400 ℃, respectively. The molar ratio of Rh/Pd/Cu in the as-synthesized Rh-doped PdCu NPs is 5/48/47. Benefitting from Rh doping and the presence of the ordered intermetallic structure, the Rh-doped PdCu intermetallic electrocatalyst achieves the maximum ORR mass activity of 0.96 A·mg^-1 at 0.9 V versus reversible hydrogen electrode (RHE) under alkaline conditions—a 7.4-fold enhancement compared to the commercial Pt/C catalyst. For different electrocatalysts, the ORR activities follow the sequence, ordered Rh-doped PdCu intermetallics > ordered PdCu intermetallics > disordered Rh-doped PdCu NPs > disordered PdCu NPs > commercial Pt/C catalyst. In addition, the distinct structure endows the Rh-doped PdCu intermetallics with highly stable ORR durability with unaltered half-wave potential (E_1/2) and mass activity after continuous 20000 cycles, which are higher than those of other electrocatalysts. Furthermore, the E_1/2 of the Rh-doped PdCu intermetallics decreases by only 5 mV after adding 0.5 mol·L^-1 methanol to the electrolyte, while the commercial Pt/C catalyst negatively shifts by 235 mV and a distinct oxidation peak can be observed. The results indicate that the ORR activity of the Rh-doped PdCu intermetallic electrocatalyst can be well maintained even in the presence of poisoning environment. Our results have demonstrated that Rh-doped PdCu NPs with ordered intermetallic structures is a potential electrocatalyst toward the next-generation high-performance DMFCs.