Atomic controlled shell thickness on Pt@Pt3Ti core-shell nanoparticles for efficient and durable oxygen reduction

The exploitation of durable and highly active Pt-based electrocatalysts for the oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) is essential for the commercialization of proton exchange membrane fuel cells (PEMFCs). Herein, we designed Pt@Pt3Ti core-shell nanoparticles with atomic-controllable shells through precise thermal diffusing Ti into Pt nanoparticles for effective and durable ORR. Combining theoretical and experiment analysis, we found that the lattice strain of Pt3Ti shells can be tailored by precisely controlling the thickness of Pt3Ti shell in atomic-scale on account of the lattice constant difference between Pt and Pt3Ti to optimize adsorption properties of Pt3Ti for ORR intermediates, thus enhancing its performance. The Pt@Pt3Ti catalyst with one-atomic Pt3Ti shell (Pt@1L-Pt3Ti/TiO2-C) demonstrates excellent performance with mass activity of 592 mA mgPt−1and durability nearly 19.5-fold that of commercial Pt/C with negligible decay (2%) after 30,000 potential cycles (0.6-1.0 V vs. RHE). Notably, at higher potential cycles (1.0 V-1.5 V vs. RHE), Pt@1L-Pt3Ti/TiO2-C also showed far superior durability than Pt/C (9.6% decayed while 54.8% for commercial Pt/C). This excellent stability is derived from the intrinsic stability of Pt3Ti alloy and the confinement effect of TiO2-C. The catalyst's enhancement was further confirmed in PEMFC configuration.