FORMATION OF AU NANOSTRUCTURES AT STEP EDGES OF PD3FE(111) AND THEIR ROLE IN O2 REDUCTION

摘要

The sluggish kinetics of the electrochemical reduction of molecular oxygen (ORR) in polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cells (PEM-FCs) requires continued search for proper catalysts. The cost and stability of the catalysts are important for developing economic and long-lifespan fuel cells. The high-temperature annealed Pd3Fe(111) surface is highly active for the ORR, but it may suffer from activity loss due to the slow dissolution of the active metal, Fe. In this study, we demonstrated a method to improve the stability while maintaining high activity, which involves adding a submonolayer amount of Au to the surface.