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Catalysts for oxygen reduction reaction based on nanocrystals of a Pt or Pt–Pd alloy shell supported on a Au core

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Abstract

Nanocrystals (NCs) of a Pt or Pd or Pt–Pd alloy shell supported on a Au core were synthesized and dripped onto a glassy carbon (GC) surface to generate thin films. Their electrocatalytic activity towards the oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) was studied employing hydrodynamic cyclic voltammetry. Of the Pt or Pt–Pd alloy electrocatalysts synthesized over a Au core (including Au cores produced from redox-transmetalation of Ni cores), Pt–Pd@Au, Pt@Au, and Pt@Au′ NCs—which contained heterogeneous NCs with spherical, triangular, squared, pentagonal, hexagonal, heptagonal, and rod-like shapes, with large (about 80 nm in several cases), well-defined crystalline structures, and evidenced a nanodendritic Pt or Pt–Pd alloy covering pattern at the NC surface—exhibited high electrocatalytic activity towards ORR and high stability (without dissolution of inner metallic nanoparticles such as Au) after 10,000 potential scans—features that suggest their utility for use in acid fuel cells.

Pt–Pd@Au, Pt@Au, and Pt@Au′ NCs exhibited high electrocatalytic activity towards ORR and high stability (without dissolution of inner metallic nanoparticles such as Au) after 10,000 potential scans.

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Acknowledgments

The authors wish to thank LabMic UFG for the microscopy analyses and LNNano for the TEM facilities. Thanks are also given to CNPq (grants 301403/2011-2, 473991/2012-8, 405695/2013-6, 303759/2014-3, and 442268/2014-9) and Fundect-MS (grants 23/200.583/2012, 23/200.735/2012, and 23/200.246/2014) for their financial support. L.B.V. thanks CAPES for the fellowship.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Institute of Chemistry, Universidade Federal de Mato Grosso do Sul, Av. Senador Filinto Muller, 1555, Campo Grande, MS, 79074-460, Brazil

    L. B. Venarusso & G. Maia

  2. Brazilian Nanotechnology National Laboratory (LNNano), Rua Giuseppe Máximo Scolfaro 10000, Campinas, SP, 13083-100, Brazil

    J. Bettini

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  1. L. B. Venarusso
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Correspondence to G. Maia.

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Venarusso, L.B., Bettini, J. & Maia, G. Catalysts for oxygen reduction reaction based on nanocrystals of a Pt or Pt–Pd alloy shell supported on a Au core. J Solid State Electrochem 20, 1753–1764 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10008-016-3181-z

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