Core–Shell Nanostructured Cobalt–Platinum Electrocatalysts with Enhanced Durability

Abstract

Pt-bimetallic alloys involving 3d transition metals (Co, Ni, etc.) are promising electrocatalysts for the oxygen reduction reaction (ORR). Despite the enhanced catalytic activity versus Pt, the electrocatalytic performance of Pt-bimetallic catalysts is however limited by the lack of long-term durability, primarily due to the leaching of the non-noble element under harsh electrochemical conditions. In this work, our study shows that the core–shell nanostructure comprising a Pt shell and a cobalt core (denoted as Co@Pt) could overcome this limitation, demonstrating ~10 times improvement in catalytic activity versus commercial Pt catalysts and no more than 13% of loss after 30000 potential cycles. The evolutions of nanoscale and surface structures over the course of extensive potential cycling were followed by combining electron microscopic elemental mapping and electrochemical studies of CO stripping. Atomistic simulations and density functional theory calculations suggest that the core–shell nanostructure could protect the non-noble cobalt from leaching under the “electrochemical annealing” conditions while maintaining the beneficial mechanisms of bimetallic systems for catalytic activity enhancement.