Cao Longsheng, Soto Fernando A, Li Dan, Deng Tao, Hu Enyuan, Lu Xiner, Cullen David A, Eidson Nico, Yang Xiao-Qing, He Kai, Balbuena Perla B, Wang Chunsheng
Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, University of Maryland, College Park, MD, USA.
Penn State Greater Allegheny, Pennsylvania State University, McKeesport, PA, USA.
Nat Commun. 2024 Aug 23;15(1):7245. doi: 10.1038/s41467-024-51480-w.
Hydrogen oxidation reaction in alkaline media is critical for alkaline fuel cells and electrochemical ammonia compressors. The slow hydrogen oxidation reaction in alkaline electrolytes requires large amounts of scarce and expensive platinum catalysts. While transition metal decoration can enhance Pt catalysts' activity, it often reduces the electrochemical active surface area, limiting the improvement in Pt mass activity. Here, we enhance Pt catalysts' activity without losing surface-active sites by using a Pd-Ru pair. Utilizing a mildly catalytic thermal pyrolysis approach, Pd-Ru pairs are decorated on Pt, confirmed by extended X-ray absorption fine structure and high-angle annular dark-field scanning transmission electron microscopy. Density functional theory and ab-initio molecular dynamics simulations indicate preferred Pd and Ru dopant adsorption. The Pd-Ru decorated Pt catalyst exhibits a mass-based exchange current density of 1557 ± 85 A g for hydrogen oxidation reaction, demonstrating superior performance in an ammonia compressor.
