Loading effect of carbon-supported platinum nanocubes on oxygen electroreduction

• DOI: 10.1016/j.electacta.2017.08.099
• Publication Date: 2017-08-20T14:46:45Z
• Authors: Kristel Jukk; Nadezda Kongi; Kaido Tammeveski; Rosa M. Arán-Ais; Jose Solla-Gullón; Juan M. Feliu
• Keywords: Oleylamine; Thermogravimetric analysis; Chloroplatinic acid; Carbon fibers; Rotating disk electrode

In this work, Vulcan carbon-supported cube-shape Pt nanoparticles with various metal loadings were synthesised in the presence of oleylamine and oleic acid. Surface morphology of different Pt/C samples was examined by transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and their metal loading verified by thermogravimetric analysis (TGA). TEM micrographs showed Pt nanoparticles with a preferential cubic-shape and increased agglomeration of the particles with increasing Pt loading. Electrochemical characterisation of the Pt/C catalysts indicated that the resulting Pt nanoparticles present a preferential (100) surface structure. The electrocatalytic properties of the Pt/C catalysts of different metal loading were evaluated towards the oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) both in acidic and alkaline media employing the rotating disk electrode (RDE) configuration. Interestingly, similar specific and mass activities were found in both solutions revealing that the ORR activities were independent of the Pt loading and suggesting that all the Pt nanocubes contributed as isolated particles.<br/>This work was financially supported by institutional research funding (IUT20-16) of the Estonian Ministry of Education and Research. This research was also supported by the EU through the European Regional Development Fund (TK141 “Advanced materials and high-technology devices for energy recuperation systems”). KJ would like to thank Archimedes Foundation for the partial study scholarship. JMF thanks MINECO (Project CTQ2016-76221-P (AEI/FEDER, UE)) and Generalitat Valenciana (Project PROMETEOII/2014/013) for financial support. JSG acknowledges financial support from VITC (Vicerrectorado de Investigación y Transferencia de Conocimiento) of the University of Alicante.<br/>