Highly active carbon supported core-shell PtNi@Pt nanoparticles for oxygen reduction reaction

Abstract

A carbon supported core-shell PtNi@Pt nanoparticle catalyst was synthesized through a two-step solution-phase reduction method, and it demonstrated a 5.4 times higher specific activity to an oxygen reduction reaction than a conventional Pt/C catalyst by using a rotating disk electrode in a three-compartment electrochemical cell, which could be attributed to the modified electronic structure of the Pt surface layer. © 2010 The Electrochemical Society.