3D Nanowire Pt Catalysts with Enhanced Stability for the Oxygen Reduction Reaction

Abstract

We report that self-supporting mesoporous platinum 3D nanowires with a single diamond (SD) morphology and a high specific surface area of 40.4 m² g^–1 demonstrated enhanced stability toward the oxygen reduction reaction (ORR). These were found to be superior to commercially available carbon-supported Pt nanoparticles (Pt/C). After 1000 potential cycles, there was a 21% loss in surface area for SD-Pt, as compared with a 40.3% loss for Pt/C with no reduction in their half-wave potential (measured at J = 3.0 mA cm^–2), whereas the Pt/C catalyst showed a 11.9 mV decrease. Our findings revealed that our SD-Pt thin films also exhibited excellent ORR activity, which offers significant potential for their application as high-performance cathode materials in alkaline fuel cells.