| Fuel cells are expected to be one of the major clean energy sources in the near future. However, the slow kinetics of electrocatalytic oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) and the high loading of Pt for the cathode material are the urgent issues to be addressed since they determine the efficiency and the cost of this energy source. In this study, a new approach was developed for designing electrocatalysts for the ORR in fuel cells. These electrocatalysts consist of only one Pt monolayer, or mixed transition metal-Pt monolayer, on suitable carbon-supported metal, or alloy nanoparticles. The synthesis involved depositing a monolayer of Cu on a suitable transition metal or metal alloy surface at underpotentials, followed by galvanic displacement of the Cu monolayer with Pt or mixed metal-Pt.; It was found that the electronic properties of Pt monolayer could be fine-tuned by the electronic and geometric effects introduced by the substrate metal (or alloy) and the lateral effects of the neighboring metal atoms. The role of substrates was found reflected in a "volcano" plot of the monolayer activity for the ORR as a function of their calculated d-band centers. The Pt mass-specific activity of the new Pt monolayer electrocatalysts was up to twenty times higher than the state-of-the-art commercial Pt/C catalysts. The enhancement of the activity is caused mainly by decreased formation of PtOH (the blocking species for ORR), and to a lesser degree by the electronic effects. Fuel cell tests showed a very good long term stability of the new electrocatalysts. Our results demonstrated a viable way to designing the electrocatalysts which could successfully alleviate two issues facing the commercialization of fuel cells---the costs of electrocatalysts and their efficiency. |
