A highly active PtCu3 intermetallic core-shell, multilayered Pt-skin, carbon embedded electrocatalyst produced by a scale-up sol-gel synthesis.

We present a novel, scaled-up sol-gel synthesis which enables one to produce 20 g batches of highly active and stable carbon supported PtCu3 nanoparticles as cathode materials for low temperature fuel cell application. We confirm the presence of an ordered intermetallic phase underneath a multilayered Pt-skin together with firm embedment of nanoparticles in the carbon matrix.

The influence of chloride impurities on Pt/C fuel cell catalyst corrosion.

Potentiodynamic Pt/C fuel cell catalyst corrosion has been studied as a function of chloride concentration with an electrochemical flow cell (EFC) coupled with highly sensitive ICP-MS. The Pt corrosion mechanism changes significantly: the anodic corrosion is much enhanced compared to the cathodic corrosion that prevails in electrolytes without Cl(-).