Work

Structure-engineered PtPd nanoassemblies for high-performance oxygen reduction electrocatalysis in PEM fuel cells

Year: 2026

Type: article

Abstract: A nano assembly (NA) of PtPd/C binary alloy electrocatalyst was successfully synthesized via a modified molten-salt-assisted approach for enhanced oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) performance in proton exchange membrane fuel cells (PEMFCs). XRD and TEM analysis reveal the formation of a PtPd alloy with closely associated nanoparticles of average size of about 8 nm. Electrochemical measurements revealed that the NA PtPd/C showed ∼6.5 and ∼8.4-fold higher mass and specific activities, respectively, than commercial Pt/C. The NA PtPd/C showed excellent electrochemical performance up to 50,000 potential cycles, and retained about 57% of its initial mass activity during a long-term durability evaluation up to 100,000 cycles. CO-stripping measurements indicated a lower CO-oxidation onset potential than for commercial Pt/C suggesting that adsorbed CO oxidation was initiated at lower potential. In single-cell PEMFC testing under H 2 /O 2 conditions, the catalyst achieved a peak power density of 1.70 W cm −2 at 3.97 A cm −2 . The DFT calculations were restricted to structural relaxation of a simplified PtPd model.

Source: Journal of Power Sources

DOI: 10.1016/j.jpowsour.2026.241748