ORR stability of Mn-Co/polypyrrole nanocomposite electrocatalysts studied by quasi in-situ identical-location photoelectron microspectroscopy

摘要

The stability of pyrolyzedMn-Co/polypyrrole (PPy) nanocomposites towards the Oxygen Reduction Reaction (ORR) in alkaline solution, was studied with a close-knit group of complementary microscopic and space-resolved spectroscopic approaches: Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM), Scanning and High-Resolution Transmission Electron Microscopy (SEM, HRTEM) and identical-location Scanning PhotoElectron Microscopy (SPEM). Tracking quasi-in situ the morphochemical evolution of the Mn-Co/PPy catalyst upon electrochemical aging under ORR conditions by this multi-technique approach, has allowed to clarify the key physico-chemical processes underlying the dramatic impact of Co additions to stability improvement. (C) 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.