The structure and characteristics of a PtCoCr nanosized polymetallic cathode catalyst on a carbon carrier

The paper presents X-ray and transmission electron microscopy data characterizing the structure of trimetallic PtCoCr catalysts synthesized on a disperse carbon carrier (carbon black KhS 72) and the influence of the structure on electrocatalytic activity in the reduction of oxygen in 0.5 M H₂SO₄. The mechanisms of oxygen reduction on platinum and trimetallic catalysts were shown to be similar. A higher activity of platinum contained in the trimetallic catalyst was caused by smaller PtCoCr/C catalyst surface coverage by oxygen-containing particles formed from water and interfering with the adsorption of molecular oxygen, which was, in turn, determined by the electronic structure of trimetallic system nanoparticles.