Minute quantities of hexagonal nanoplates PtFe alloy with facile operating conditions enhanced electrocatalytic activity and durability for oxygen reduction reaction

Pt-based alloys have been explored as the most promising cathode catalyst for fuel cells due to their excellent electrocatalytic activity in oxygen reduction reaction (ORR). However, the long-term performance of Pt-based alloys is compromised owing to the de-alloying behavior under the corrosive circumstance. More importantly, the complicated synthesized methods have hindered their further practical application. In this report, a facile and effective operating conditions-assisted method has been developed to synthesize the stable hexagonal nanoplates PtFe alloy with a high electrocatalytic activity. In the three prepared PtM (M: Fe, Co, Ni) alloy samples, the PtFe alloy exhibits a superior catalytic activity, which improves by about 100 and 178 mV for half-wave potential in alkaline and acidic medium with the same Pt-loading amount, respectively. In addition, the PtFe alloy catalyst exhibits an electrochemical stability, compared to the conventional carbon-supported Pt catalysts. In view of the advantages of the facile operating preparation and the excellent electrocatalytic performance, we believe that the hexagonal nanoplates PtFe alloy holds great application as a promising electrocatalyst in polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cell (PEMFC).